


Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

by sprintingfox



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Dark Magic, F/M, Inspired by The Originals (TV), Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Prison Worlds (Vampire Diaries), Siphoners (Vampire Diaries), Sprinting Fox, The Original Heretic, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 76
Words: 299,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27636254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprintingfox/pseuds/sprintingfox
Summary: Beatrix La Salle, the Original Heretic, was not expecting to be trapped in a prison world with a siphon sociopath, but after three hundred years of Mikaelson family drama, what was she anticipating instead?.with Cenit Nadir as Beatrix La Salle.TVD S6 / TO S2 and onward, with flashbacks based on history shown in The Originals..All credit for original characters and original plot goes to Julie Plec for The Vampire Diaries and The Originals television series. I own only my OCs and select scenes not from the show. Thank you Julie, for creating the series. Thank you all, for reading.
Relationships: Beatrix La Salle/Elijah Mikaelson, Beatrix La Salle/Kai Parker, Beatrix La Salle/Niklaus Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson/Original Female Character(s), Klaus Mikaelson/Original Female Character(s), Malachai "Kai" Parker/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 77
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

_May 10th, 1994_

**They always told her that she had a thing for being in the wrong place at the one time, but she had never believed it.**

Why would she? She came and went as she pleased. No one had ever stood in her way. In three hundred and ten years that she’d been in this world, with all the absolute bull she endured, it was uncommon for Beatrix La Salle to consider herself unlucky at all. In danger, sometimes? Certainly. But this was another level of it.

_"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."_

The man on the ground was letting out enraged, pained screams. The girl standing over him looked both worried and thankful, which struck Beatrix as odd. A man stepped forward, holding a gadget that Beatrix had never seen before, and that was considering that she had helped create numerous magical objects— especially dark ones. The man held it over the younger male on the floor, who twitched, yelled, and held his head in his hands as if his brain was being blown into pieces within his skull. 

She couldn’t concentrate. She was already barely conscious, heavily bruised, probably pumped full of vervain. She was being held by someone much stronger than her at the given moment. She could hear the person’s heart thumping rapidly. Tachycardia, but not to a dangerous extent. She could hear the heart beats of the others who chanted as well— united in an anxious rhythm. They were thirsting for this— whatever it was— to work. They wanted the man on the ground to suffer.

_"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."_

Then, just like that, he was gone. The girl leapt back. “It’s done,” said the man with the gadget, bringing it down slightly. He nodded to the girl, who turned and ran out of the woods. The other people there turned their gazes to Beatrix, whose own heart hammered in her chest.

Six months. Six months she had been a prisoner, and this was her first time seeing any sort of daylight since Christmas morning. She should have told Marcel she was coming to New Orleans instead of choosing to surprise him. She should never have taken back her magic. She should have cloaked herself at least, rather than bet that the French Quarter Coven wouldn’t recognize her. That time, perhaps she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Hurry up, the eclipse will be over soon,” the man huffed. The person holding her shoved her forward, onto the ground. Beatrix was too weak to move. But now, as she looked up at their faces, she could remember who they were.

“Fuck you,” she gasped hoarsely, glaring up at them with hatred. “You stupid Gemini Coven members… I swear… I will make sure to end you…”

They ignored her. " _Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."_

She let out a terrified scream, holding her bruised abdomen and curling up, her sides burning. As they continued to chant, it felt like the her eyeballs were being ripped out of the sockets. Beatrix’s body thrashed back, sprawled on the dirt. She screamed again, her throat being ripped raw. Her head pounded with a storm, her chest was about to explode. And she had thought that being around the Mikaelsons brought her more suffering than what she could handle…

_"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."_

A final cry of absolute devastation tore out, causing her to taste blood in her mouth. A bright light assaulted her retinas, and the back of her head seared with fire. For a few seconds, she could see nothing, but when her body relaxed and her vision cleared, she was right where she’d been before, except the members of the Gemini Coven were gone.

The only person near her was the man from before. He was still in a ratty pink t-shirt with a center circular pattern appearing in purple, orange, blue and green, as far as Beatrix could tell. It was faded, and the white long-sleeved shirt he had underneath was stained with blood, drawing her attention. The man looked up at her just as the black veins materialized under her eyes, her fangs protruding within her mouth. But this caused her pain, and she hissed, covering her lips and causing the feeling to recede.

“What the hell happened?” the man snarled, glaring at her as if she should have an explanation.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, shakily standing. She stumbled, at first, but soon realized that she no longer felt as weak. Clearly, there was still vervain in her system, but she could at least stand on her own. “Who are you, anyway?”

The man scoffed. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I should be asking you that. I’m supposed to be the next leader of the Gemini Coven! But you— I’ve never seen you before.”

Beatrix did not answer right away. She turned around, walking a slow circle around herself. This was indeed the same place they had been before, but they were completely alone. Were they dead? Were they in hell?

Suddenly, her throat was seized from behind, and the man whirled her around roughly to face him. His blue eyes were darkened a few shades, reflecting his clear aggravation with her delayed response. “Well?” he sneered. “Who the fuck are you?”

Beatrix gave him a bored look. He was surprised she wasn’t scared. Startled, yes. Scared, no. “Please, darling,” she said, rolling her eyes and digging her knee up into his groin, kicking him back without much effort. “I’ve been in chokeholds stronger than that. You’ve got nothing on an Original, especially not one with anger issues.”

He had composed himself quickly from her kick, and although he still was furious at their still uncertain predicament, he was curious that she had been able to release herself from his grip. “Are you going to answer my question or not?” he hissed.

“I don’t know, am I?” she said, crossing her arms and beginning to walk out to where she could see a clearing in the distance. “Shut up for a minute, will you? I’m trying to figure out the spell.”

“Well, I’ve never heard it, so good luck,” he said very sarcastically. 

Beatrix turned around, glaring at him. “You’re lucky my self-control is better than most vampires, and you’re lucky I can’t perform magic yet. Otherwise, I’d have gone in sequence breaking every bone in your body before cutting through your brain stem.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Sadistic. Now I know why you’re here."

“No, you know nothing about me. Now, shut up.”

“How do you expect to figure that spell out? You look younger than me, and I’ve never heard it.”

She let out a wry chuckle. “Darling, I’ve been alive longer than your great grandparents, at least.” She began to walk away. “ _Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum….”_

The man scoffed when she began chanting, tucking his arm in his pockets and walking behind her.

Beatrix looked up not long after. “Son. Prison. Fire. Forever. They used the same spell for me— they wanted me to be here with you. This is something created specifically for you. A prison.”

He was about to speak, but she held a finger up to silence him. “I only care to speak to you if you have a knife.”

“A knife? Are you kidding me? Of course I have a knife.” He extracted a blade from his pocket, and she took it without looking at him, examining it. 

“Tell me,” she asked, “are you a warlock?”

“An abomination of a warlock, according to my Coven. They’re really just scared. A siphon sociopath…”

Beatrix whirled around, looking panicked. “What?” she said, her face pale. “No— no— that’s— crap—”

“What? What the hell does it mean?”

She didn’t answer. Leaving him behind, she became a blur as she sped out of the clearing, and to a house at the end of it. She didn’t care who owned it. She kicked open the door, surprised she could even step inside. She bolted to the kitchen, searching frantically for a calendar on the fridge— anything. When she didn’t find one, she tore into the living room, then an office, where she found a newspaper.

“May 10th, 1994,” she breathed. “Okay… same day… not 1903…”

Panting loudly, the man came into the house behind her. “What the fuck was that all about?” he called out. “Why are you in my house?”

“Your house?” she asked, momentarily distracted as she poked her head out of the room.

“Yes, my house. Aren’t you vampires supposed to have super hearing?”

Beatrix growled. “Super hearing and needing clarification are two different things, dipshit.” She set the newspaper down. “Okay. I think we’re in the clear. But I need you to help me.”

He scoffed. “Why would I help you? You kneed me in the groin and you’re being rude.”

“So are you, fucktard!” she snapped. “I need you to siphon the vervain out of me. It shouldn’t be that hard— I tried it out years ago, it's possible."

“I think it’d be more fun for me to slit your wrists and throat and hang you upside down,” he said darkly.

In an instant, she sped forward and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back out the door. She then pushed him onto the ground, grasping his throat in her hand and pressing her thumb and forefinger hard against his jugular and carotid, whilst the middle of her hand put a dangerous amount of pressure onto his trachea. Her eyes darkened, the black veins returning and running down her eyelids to her cheeks. He looked apathetic as she dipped down and sank her fangs into his shoulder, but he let out a yell all the same.

She wanted him to go limp in her grasp, she wanted to feel the life leave him. So she kept pressing and kept drinking. He tried to push her off but he was no match for the three-hundred-year-old vampire atop him. She didn’t release her fangs from his flesh until she felt him stop fighting, heard his heart stop beating, and made sure he had given one last breath. She wiped her mouth and got up, yanking the body into the house with her, and putting him on the floor behind the house.

“Sorry,” she mumbled half-heartedly. “I expect you’ll come back. It’s a prison world. We don’t get an out. Just... testing a theory.”

She then went to find the bathroom, and gripped the knife he had given her. She began the process of draining herself of vervain, mentally cursing herself for not having just drank less in order to make him siphon. Now, she’d have to do this the hard way.

She certainly was in the wrong place. She wasn’t sure if it was the wrong time, anymore, however. Perhaps she had had this coming. She had killed many in her years, though mostly out of self-defense. Running around with Mikaelsons always brought numerous enemies, and yet for a century, she had been at their side faithfully. It was difficult to stray away from a family like that, especially considering that one was her sire, two were her best friends, and one had been her lover. 

Thankfully, it didn’t take her too long to drain herself. By the time evening fell, she was healing, and she could already hear the man moving around downstairs. It sounded like he was moving furniture around.

Once she had cleaned all the blood down the drain of the bathtub, she trotted back down, only to find the man in the kitchen, holding a rather large kitchen knife, as well as what looked like the leg of a wooden chair.

“As we’ve established, I can’t die in here,” he said, his voice riddled with annoyance. “Now, the experiment continues. Your turn.”

Beatrix didn’t try to run. Instead, she stepped forward. “Yeah, might as well,” she said dejectedly. She would return. She had no doubts about that. He did not hesitate to impale the leg into her chest, making her gasp and stumble back. Already weak from the blood loss, she allowed her body to slip away.

When she awoke, it was morning. She smelled food, and blood. She was still on the floor of the kitchen— he hadn’t bothered to move her. She yanked the leg out of her chest and stood, brushing her clothes off. He was at the stove, making what appeared to be eggs.

“So, are you going to tell me your name now?” he said impatiently. “Or should we take turns killing each other again?”

She rolled her eyes, and went to sit at the table. “I suppose since you made breakfast, I can go first. I go by many names in different continents. My birth name is not something I have told to more than one person, and he thinks I’m dead so I’ll let that secret lay with him. I like to be called Beatrix. Beatrix La Salle.”

“La Salle. So, French?”

“From my father’s end, yes. Not that I ever met him.”

“And your mother?”

“Mexican, Mayan, Spanish descendancy… whatever, it meshes together. I honestly don’t remember her much. She was killed when I was… eight. It was my fault. My memories are vague and the one journal of hers turned to a pile of ashes in 1919.”

The man raised his eyebrows, intrigued. He brought the pan of eggs to the table and set it down carelessly, before bringing plates. Beatrix was surprised he was so civilized. “What about you?” she asked him, looking up for his answer.

“Malachai Parker,” he said, shrugging. “Stupid name. I go by Kai. I never want to hear the surname Parker again. My father— the stupid one who trapped us here— he’s the current leader of the Gemini Coven. The girl who tricked me? My twin sister. Josette. I should have cut out more than her spleen yesterday.”

Beatrix furrowed her eyebrows as she began to eat. “What do you mean, ‘yesterday?’”

Kai acted as though this was the best question in the world. He let out a chuckle and leaned back in his chair. “Oh… just, good memories yesterday. I killed four of my siblings. Would have been six, but stupid Josette hid them from me. When I get out of here, I’ll end those twins…”

He expected Beatrix to be appalled, but she hardly batted an eyelash. “Hmm. I understand what you meant by siphon sociopath. On that topic, well… when I discovered I was a siphon… I was around six. I wasn't the first ever, but the first New Orleans had seen, at any rate. My mother had been using some very dark magic to hide us from the witches there, because they wanted me. I siphoned off her sometimes, but it hurt her. One day in time out, I put my hand on the wall, and was able to siphon. I didn’t know that over the course of two years, I sucked every last bit of magic protecting us. They found us, and killed her.”

“I see what you’re trying to do,” Kai said, glaring at her. “You’re trying to relate to me. You think we’re going to be friends here.”

“I never said that. I just thought to mention it as context. If we’re going to be here forever, I expect we’ll be spilling lots of secrets soon. Besides, my body count is way more than four, darling.”

“Let me guess, it’s five for murder and six for pleasure,” he said snarkily, finishing the last of his egg.

Beatrix wasn’t fazed by his comment. “Hmm… at least over one hundred for murder. Probably more. I wiped out an entire cult once… so maybe more than three hundred. As for the other body count, don’t get cute, you don’t get to know that.”

He snorted. “You’ll tell me. After all, we’re going to be spilling lots of secrets soon, hmm? I bet you’ll go into all to the gorey and smutty details.”

“Gorey, sure. Smutty, only in your dreams.”

“I don’t dream. Nice try, though.” He paused, and looked back at her. “So, what are you? Why would the Coven imprison a vampire here?”

She let out a dry chuckle. “I’m not just a vampire, darling.”

“First of all, stop calling me darling. Second of all— why is your accent even British or Australian sounding? You look… Latin American.”

“Yes, well, my mother and father were quite opposite in skin tone so I’m a little blend. But I grew up in New Orleans, and I traveled a lot. I know many languages. My closest friends have British and Australian sounding accents, though, and I suppose it just stuck.”

“Is one of those friends the one who thinks you’re dead? The one who knows your real name? Or is he not a friend? I bet he’s your ex.”

“My, my, you’re a nosy little shit, aren’t you? Yes, he is my ex, but he is also a very close friend of mine.”

“Tell me about them. You seem perfectly fine being an open book.”

“Aww, Kai, it sounds like you care about my life.”

In an instant, the dirty saucepan was raised from the sink, and he beat it into her head, making her stumble. She had to admit, he had fast reflexes. Before he could beat it down again, she caught it, and bent it, before slamming it back into his forehead. 

“Are we really going to start this again?” she hissed. “I need blood, so I don’t mind feeding from you and killing you on repeat.”

He didn’t release his grip. He composed himself, grabbed the knife from the counter, and careened toward her, stabbing her right in the heart, and making her choke. She swiped her leg out and made him fall, before yanking the knife out. “Nice try, but it’s not made of wood!” she snapped, before throwing the knife right into his gut. He yelled out in pain and tried to scramble up, but she kicked him back down. “I’m going to have a lot of fun torturing you, aren’t I?” Bea whispered, slamming her boot over the knife to dig it deeper into him.

She didn’t get a response, because he went unconscious. She pulled him up and snapped his neck before pulling the knife out. He’d be back soon, so might as well speed it up. 

She went to clean the saucepan, bending the handle back to its original orientation. They were 2-1, in her favor. She supposed that would keep them occupied for the next eternity.

Eternity. That’d always intrigued her, but terrified her at the same time. Was this experience anything like what Kol had felt when he was daggered for nearly the entire century that she was friends with the Mikaelsons? Had Rebekah and Elijah gone into worlds such as these in the more brief moments when Klaus had daggered them? And what of Finn, who she had only ever met through his coffin? Had he been in a world like this for the past nearly nine hundred years?

She didn’t know. 

It was hours later when Kai woke up, looking very annoyed, as usual. Beatrix was sprawled on a couch, humming to herself and trying to piece things together.

Kai came and sat in the armchair beside her, though not daring to look at her. “What are you thinking?” he demanded, as if entitled to know what was on her mind at every instant. “And when are you going to tell me what you are?”

She chose not to ignore him. “I’m figuring things out. We should explore tomorrow, to learn more about this place. I—”

But she was cut off when the sky darkened outside abruptly. The two shot up and went to the window, looking up and seeing the exact same eclipse as yesterday.

“That certainly helps,” Beatrix murmured. “Solves one rumor I heard.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, in 1903, the Gemini Coven created a prison world much like this one. As you’ve noticed, there is no one here. I doubt anyone is in any part of the world. Just us. I was traveling at the time and had to keep my head low, because the people they imprisoned were like me. I’d heard of them, but stayed away. It was stupid to me that they stayed and traveled together, as if asking to be rounded up in one piece. They were incredibly powerful but they knew that the entire Coven was searching for them and they didn’t think to disperse. There were seven of them. Six who are just like I am, one that is simply a Ripper vampire.”

“I’ve heard about that… vaguely, I think. No one in the Coven at this moment remembers that though, they weren’t there.”

“The six were all members of the Gemini Coven in past years. All born as siphons, much like you and I. Now, usually, when a witch ingests vampire blood and is killed, they transition and lose their powers. The seven of us didn’t. I was the first one on record— the Original Heretic. I’m supposed to be a myth, that’s why I always changed names. The others weren’t lucky enough to escape captivity. I evaded it for the past… two hundred eighty nine years. I was turned in 1705 by one of the Original vampires.”

“I’ve heard of them too— the Originals, and the Heretics. No living member of our Coven has met either type. They were really just scary bedtime stories we were told as kids. Well, until they found out I was a siphon and just started neglecting me.”

“Witches are strange. Some covens are very accepting of all types of witches. When I traveled in Africa, they have special customs for siphoners there. They teach them a very specific form of magic to heal. Anyone who has been infected with a hex or other sort of curse can be cured by those specific siphons. Rather than cast them aside, they use the fact that they were born as anomalies of nature to restore a balance in those who are afflicted. It’s a sweet thing, in my opinion. The Gemini Coven, however, has always been ruthless with siphons. And coincidentally, they are the Coven who has birthed the most siphons in history.”

Kai furrowed his eyebrows. “Siphons… we’re rare, aren’t we?”

“Yes. But the world and its population are vast. There have been many siphons since the beginning of time. Most are killed before they learn that they are siphons. Some are killed afterward. Some never reveal their abilities. And others relish in it. The other Heretics and I were some of the few who were given the chance at becoming the hybrids that many fear. For most of them, it was a choice. For me, it wasn’t.”

“What do you mean? You could have just chosen not to ingest vampire blood.”

“I was unconscious when it was fed to me, and I didn’t know until I woke up after someone snapped my neck from behind. When I woke up, there was a small carton with what looked like wine next to me, and I drank it, thinking someone had cared for me, considering I was propped up in an alleyway. I had no idea that it contained human blood. After I completed the transition, I left the country entirely.”

She then straightened up and leaned back. “I don’t think they had the capability to open the 1903 prison world back up. Or they were scared to, if the Heretics aren’t completely desiccated by now. So they threw me in here with you. They could have separated us but they didn’t.”

At this, Kai turned to face her. “I think they wanted us to torture each other. They know how I am. And you— they knew you’d need to feed on me. I’m the human blood bag that can’t die. Basically, we’ll be forced to spend eternity just killing each other.”

“Possibly,” Bea said, lacing her fingers together. “But neither of us are stupid. We can figure out how to get out of here.”

“Why do you even want to get out? They’ll just want to kill you out there. Your boy toy can’t be _that_ good in bed.”

She let out a soft chuckle. “You’re funny when you’re not pissed off. Contrary to what you may believe, I did have a life out there. There were things I was trying to accomplish.”

“Like what? Learning how to give yourself a manicure?”

“I already know how to do that. No, I had a mission to try and dessicate one of the Original vampires.”

“I thought you implied that they were your friends. The ex did you that wrong?”

“The one I was trying to dessicate is their father, Mikael. The vampire who hunts other vampires. I couldn’t let him succeed at killing his main target or any of the other Original siblings. They are my friends, and my family, and I’d very much like to see them again. Even though the worst of the bunch and I are not the closest friends, I can’t let his father kill him.”

“Let me guess, the ex.”

“No. My sire, Niklaus Mikaelson.”


	2. Chapter 2

**A year into the prison world, and Beatrix was surprised that she hadn’t killed Kai more than thirty six times.**

Granted, they were still even, but it was nice to know that they weren’t at each other’s throats so often anymore.

The first few months were terrible. They’d hotwired a car and gone driving around Portland, Oregon for days on end, getting food, clothes, and other pretty trinkets, ignoring the eclipse, and seeing what else could be of interest. 

Every time they had returned to the house, even in separate bedrooms, some conflict always happened. Either Kai got angry at Beatrix for not shutting up about her stupid theories and plans, or Beatrix got infuriated that Kai was still being too disrespectful to cooperate.

The second time Kai had killed her, he’d caught her off guard and siphoned until she was unconscious. Then, he’d staked her into the wall. That had been three days in, because she had made the eggs ‘wrong.’

The third time they killed each other, they’d orchestrated it as a competition. Kai had staked her to test how fast she could kill him before her body turned gray. He had not been expecting her to tear out his throat entirely just mere seconds before her collapse. 

The fourth time, they had also planned it, to see how badly they could wreck the car they were using. The crash had killed Kai instantly, and Bea had died slowly when she got a wooden sign through her abdomen, and the splinters gradually went to her heart.

After that, it was much more random. They made it fun, despite both being aggravated that the other wouldn’t cease surprising them with a murder plot. Yet, even with the excitement that came with not knowing when or how they’d be killed this time (Kai was still trying to cut her head off, since he was getting tired of always staking her), it was revolting and they both ended up ignoring each other for days at a time, sometimes weeks. At one point, a month nearly passed where they didn’t speak to each other even though they remained in the same house. 

But after the sixth month mark, when they were angry and lonely and bored out of their minds, about to go insane, they decided to get off their asses and just talk. So they did.

They learned quite a bit about each other, too. At first, it was mostly Beatrix talking, since she had lived longer. She told Kai about her mother’s journal, which she had snippets of memorized, and about why she specifically was born a siphon.

It had been 1665 when Ixazaluoh was born. Her family resided near the Yucatán Peninsula, and were very distantly descended from the Mayas, who had vanished in the ninth century. Ixazaluoh’s grandmother had received a vision from the gods in 1650 revealing this to them, and asking them to sacrifice any child born with magical powers in order to restore the Mayan civilization. When Ixa, as she liked to be called, was born, the elders began to plan the sacrifice, abandoning the Spanish they had been using and returning to the ancient Yucatec Maya dialect of which they had barely any records. For seventeen years, they prepared and created the proper ritual, waiting for the girl to mature, and allowing her to hone into her magic prior to the sacrifice.

The day Ixa turned seventeen, however, she had already formulated a plan. She knew she was powerful, and she had practiced enough to understand that she had a fighting chance. She did not want to die. She did not care that the sacrifice would bring blessings to the land, she did not care that the Mayan civilization could rise once more. All she knew was that she did not want to die, she did not want to be the sacrifice. 

Thus, she called upon the same gods who had sent her grandmother a vision. She prayed to Chamer, one of gods of death who controlled the frightening afterlife realm of Xilbalba. She asked them to give her darker magic to help her escape. In return, she stated that when she died, she would be a sacrifice for them alone, in order to fuel the realm. Chamer accepted, but unbeknownst to Ixa, told the elders that Ixa was practicing dark magic. Thus, the sacrificial ritual was cancelled, and Ixa was exiled, cursed to never return to Yucatán. She was told that any child she bore would have devastating abilities and wreak havoc on the other nations. Ignoring them, Ixa set off, planning to make her way North.

Chamer, eager to collect the sacrifice she promised, sent the elders a message, stating that the sacrifice could still happen, but that they needed to hunt her and kill her as though she was a deer, before condemning her to Xilbalba for eternity. The elders gathered their hunters, and among them Ixa’s father and brothers, to go find her and slaughter her, before returning her to the village. 

Using the magic that Ixa had received from Chamer, she cloaked herself and set off onto a raft, beginning a very dangerous journey across the Gulf of México. That night, when the hunters returned empty handed, Chamer was furious, and killed off every last villager, taking them to Xibalba as replacement for losing a soul as powerful as Ixa.

For days, the young woman sailed, using her strength to draw the waves in her favor, and praying to the gods for forgiveness, as well as asking them to help her reach land in one piece. She finally arrived in what was just recently discovered as Louisiana, and was found by a French servant, who dragged her to a nearby residence. There, she met the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle. He took a fancy to her because of her youth and the revelation that she was a witch. Ixa used her magic to grant herself the ability to speak in his same tongue, and introduced herself properly. Robert then gave her the name Soleil, meaning ‘sun’, as ‘Ixazaluoh’ was too complex for him to pronounce. 

In mid-1683, Ixa, who now comfortably went by the name ‘Soleil,’ discovered she was pregnant with Robert’s child. When she told him, however, he did not want it. He insisted she must have slept with another man. He wanted nothing to do with a ‘mutt’ of a child, who would be mixed race and likely be born a witch. He cast her away, not caring that Soleil murmured curses to him and his men under her breath.

In a fragile condition, Soleil went deep into the bayou, unable to practice any strong magic for fear of hurting the child growing inside her womb. She was found by several of the original Louisiana witches, who took her in and through spells, discovered that her child would be born at the beginning of the coming year. Soleil told them of her past in confidence, but the witches, realizing that the baby would be a dangerous being, tried to convince her to get rid of it. Soleil refused, and the witches pretended that instead, they had in mind to train the baby to use magic properly, and suppress any abilities that would pose as dangerous. This time, Soleil played along, but nearing the end of her pregnancy, disappeared without a trace. On March 27th, 1684, Soleil gave birth to a baby girl. She named her Itza, meaning sorceress of the water, as the bayou had protected them, and she knew her daughter would be strong. 

Kai had been quite interested to learn of Beatrix’s past. While she talked too much and it bothered him, he did like to hear the detail with which she spoke. She had described vague memories of her childhood (refraining from mentioning her birth name), how she and her mother had healed a baby crocodile, how they’d climbed trees and gathered fruits, and hidden whenever they heard voices. 

“She was the one who chose my names for me,” she mused one night before the fire they’d started in the shitty fireplace that the Parker household had. “She thought Beatrix La Salle would be a good name to fit into society. She was paranoid, which was understandable, and had written down other names I could use. Ianira Soleil— that’s what I’m called in Europe and most of Asia. Araminta Rodríguez, for when I was in Africa and South America. Juliana Claire, for most of North America and the brief time I was in the Middle East. I think she had met a Claire witch at one point. The final name I used was decided for me by my best friend, Kol. When we traveled together, he had me be called Hilda Mikaelson. The surname definitely commanded more respect, and no one really dared come close all too often.”

They’d been on month seven when Kai had pried further into that. “So… what’s the deal with the Originals, then? How did you all meet?”

“I’m going in order, Kai, don’t rush me.”

After what they estimated to be Easter, once they had finally accepted the fact that they were trapped and didn’t know how to get out yet, they had opened up more. Kai had told her about how neglected he’d felt, and how his sociopathic tendencies had come to light. He gave her some gorey details about how he killed his siblings. Sometimes, she’d let him rant, and he’d fantasize about how he’d kill the twins once they got out.

 _If_ they got out.

The day the one year mark hit, Beatrix baked a cake. Kai was highly displeased, but enjoyed the wicked red velvet, carrot, and ice cream monstrosity that Beatrix had put together. Not that it was disgusting, in fact, it was rather delicious, but as Kai so kindly put it, she ‘couldn’t decorate cakes for shit.’ And, ‘it looked like a botched liver.’

“So, one year,” Kai mused, tapping his fingers together. “One year of… who knows how many. And you baked a terrible cake.”

“I’d feel better if we could go on a killing spree, but there aren’t any people here, are there?” Beatrix said, raising her eyebrow.

Kai would have definitely enjoyed that. Lately, he had been nice enough to give Beatrix some small amounts of blood every day, in a wine glass. Beatrix assumed he only did this to make sure she didn’t feed on him and ruin yet another one of his shirts. The first months, she’d raided nearby hospitals and rationed the supply to what she needed. But Kai’s blood tasted better because it was fresh, and at least it wasn’t cold. 

“Wait till we get out,” said Kit, cracking his knuckles. “I’m going to get an axe and run it through so many people’s heads…”

So far, the one thing they agreed on was that they would both very much like to kill the members of the Gemini Coven. Every last one of them.

That certainly made time pass easier after that. Motivation could go a very long way. 

Beatrix lay back in her bed later than night, listening to Kai’s snores from the adjacent room. He was very young to have so much anger, but then again, what did anyone expect, considering how they treated him and so many other siphoners? 

Her own childhood wasn’t much of a picnic. Between recalling that her mother taught her to speak Spanish, French, and English, Beatrix recalled that they just constantly lived in fear. It was worse when they discovered she was a siphon. Her mother had been alarmed that she wasn’t showing signs of magic, and the overwhelming worry left her to take her temper out on her daughter. One night, Beatrix had accidentally broken a bowl that her mother had worked very hard to make by hand. Soleil had brought her hand down and smacked her, hard, but when the second blow was on its way, Beatrix caught her arm. A searing pain shot through Soleil as the little girl sucked out just a small fraction of her magic. Enough to make her stumble back. 

That was when the stories began. Beatrix remembered only few of those, but they were mostly pleasant. Stories of how witches were powerful and important. Stories of the Mayan culture that Soleil had abandoned when she let go of the name Ixazaluoh. 

Bouncing her eight year old daughter on her knee, one night in 1672, just before they were found, Soleil had told her about news she had heard when buying supplies. A very famous witch line— the Bennett witches— had successfully escaped Salem, Massachusetts, and survived the Salem Witch Trials. Soleil had whispered to her daughter to pray for them. Beatrix had asked if the Bennett witches would like someone like her. Soleil had not known the exact answer, but had told the little girl that they would definitely have tried to get to know her. But she had made sure to tell her, as well, that it didn’t matter who accepted her and who didn’t. Either way, one should never settle for less than what they deserve, and should never let anyone treat them as though they are unworthy.

“Come to think of it,” mused Beatrix when she had told Kai that part of the story just a few days before. “I think she knew.”

Kai raised a curious brow. “Knew? Knew what?”

“That we were going to get caught. I think she knew that I was sucking the magic out. I think she knew that she couldn’t keep up the spell much longer— I was too strong. As soon as she refreshed it, I’d suck everything away. Eventually she must have stopped trying. She knew it was her time.”

And it was. Soleil had been killed just days after their conversation about the Bennett witches. The Louisiana witches had killed her swiftly, and snatched up a sleeping Beatrix. They were going to kill her, but seeing her abilities the next day when she awoke, terrified and confused, they decided to wait, train her, and see if she could survive in the real world.

In the year 1700, when Beatrix turned sixteen, the witches put all her training to the test. They had chanted until she was in a deep slumber, and had deposited her into an area of the bayou that she had never been in. They wondered if she could figure out how to make her way back, without magic of her own. If she could, then all the training would be worth it, and they would be able to teach her more complex magic. If she could not, she’d either die of natural causes, be killed by werewolves, or worse.

“I wasn’t stupid,” Beatrix said, making Kai roll his eyes as if he doubted her. “The earth is filled with magic, especially in Louisiana. Always remember that. If you are somewhere that has a history of supernatural occurrences, press your palm to the ground, and see what you feel. I guarantee it is worth a try. I was able to do a locator spell, siphoning from the dirt in the bayou. I made my way back to the witches within days, and they began to teach me more.”

However, she had left them soon afterward. When she turned 18, she had left her things behind and slipped out, cloaking herself and going across the bayou, as far away as possible. She did not intend to use magic. She wanted to blend in, be human. She arrived in what would soon be known as New Orleans, where some settlements had already been perfected. She was taken in as a governess for one of the wealthier families. She taught their two young daughters to speak French properly, to learn about art, music, and literature. The witches, thankfully for her, had wanted a more well rounded education. Despite most of her music and literature revolving around old Creole writings and tunes, Beatrix had learned well, and adapted.

In 1703, she learned that the family housing her were of the Claire bloodline. They confronted Beatrix about her identity, and she was honest. They told her that they sensed a threat had just arrived in the city, and that something was afoot. They asked Beatrix to start teaching their daughters magic, wanting her to show them how to defend themselves. Beatrix agreed, feeling thankful that they hadn’t shunned her away due to her siphon nature.

“They didn’t cast you out?” Kai scoffed. “Looking like that, I would have kicked you to the curb immediately.”

“For your information, there was no curb back then, just dirt roads. Besides, they were sensing something worse than whatever I could do. In late 1702, the Mikaelsons had just arrived. Granted, two of their siblings were in coffins at the time, but the Original trio consisting of Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah was plenty deadly without Kol’s help.”

Kai, who still didn’t know enough about the Originals, gritted his teeth to refrain from snapping at her about how she still hadn’t told him anything regarding the Mikaelsons. 

Beatrix was taking her time. As bored as she was to be telling him her entire life story as if he was a psychologist, she wanted to pace herself. They had so many years left to speak. Why tell him everything right away? 

In 1705, everything had changed. She had been learning from the Claire witch grimoires, and was teaching their daughters everything she knew up to that point. She was twenty-one, and had just begun to have a suitor as well, a young man from another wealthy family further up the road who truly sought to make her his bride. They had been seeing each other for a few weeks, when one night, after having gone dancing in the moonlight, they were attacked by a vampire. 

It had been brutal. There was nothing Beatrix could have done to save her suitor. He was ripped apart, and all she had done was leap back with a horrified look on her face. She had never encountered another supernatural creature, she just knew of them. The vampire had turned to her, and begun to rip out her throat, but she had gripped its arm tightly, siphoning as much as she could. The vampire had wailed in pain, and fled, leaving her passed out beside the dead man.

They had been found much later, when Beatrix was losing her life already. Niklaus Mikaelson, having just finished a meal consisting of several peasants, found them, and listened to the weak but present heartbeat of the La Salle girl. He had approached her, and planned to finish her off. Tenderly, he had held her neck, tilting it to expose to him the pulsating jugular that was begging her heart to keep pumping blood. But she had been somewhat lucid. She had weakly grabbed his arm, siphoning so little that he barely realized it. But he felt it. A pinch, a small electric shock. He gazed down at her, her eyelids fluttering slightly, indicating she could sense he was there. He had not removed his arm, and she had had another go, succeeding in burning him a bit more this time. He had yanked it away from her, observing where her fingertips had just ceased glowing with a honey colored light. Staring at her, he brought his wrist to his mouth, a crunch sounding out into the empty street as he drew blood, and pushed it to her mouth. She did not drink, having passed out once more, so he coaxed it down, and slowly but surely, she began to heal. When her eyes opened, he cupped his face in her hands.

_“You will forget you were here,” he said simply, watching her pupils dilate, her eyelashes batting softly. “You will forget the man you were with. Forget me, forget the blood on your dress. Go home quickly, change, get rid of the stain, and go on with your life, as though you never met anyone tonight.”_

In a blur, he’d disappeared. Beatrix had forgotten instantly, and had gotten up as though nothing had happened, beginning to walk to the Claire household at a quickened pace. But she should have been more alert. The vampire had watched the exchange she’d had with Klaus, and had come from behind, snapping her neck, and feeding on her quickly, before dropping her body to the floor and leaving. Unbeknownst to her, Klaus had returned, and had set her down comfortably in an alleyway, preparing a carton of human blood for her.

When she awoke, she had absentmindedly drank from the carton. The memories flooded back, and alarmed, she had fled. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt a random person, or hurt the little girls she cared for. 

And so Beatrix La Salle had disappeared from New Orleans before it was named as such. She forgot the witches, she forgot the Claires, she did not try to find Klaus Mikaelson. As far as she knew, she was no longer a witch.

How wrong she was.


	3. Chapter 3

**The second year had been better than the first.**

They had tried to make the most of it. They learned to cook. Learned to drive a train. Learned to fly a plane. They’d gone ziplining without their straps fully adjusted. They’d trashed any place that simply didn’t look nice, and had lived in gorgeous homes they found wherever they traveled. Some places, they stayed in for weeks. Others, for less than a day. They were making their way mostly down the West Coast, because Kai claimed that maybe if there were sea creatures, they could die for real.

Of course, there hadn’t been any sea creatures. Or any animals or insects at all. Beatrix was thankful for the lack of maggots and flies and mosquitoes. But she missed the presence of a dog or a cat or even an alpaca, from her time in Peru. 

As they moved around, exploring places with the weirdest names and marking down towns they’d planned to pass through off their ‘bucket list,’ Beatrix had told Kai about her travels. In fact, they’d bonded over the fact that anytime they settled down somewhere for more than a month, she could teach him spells from all over the world. 

After leaving Louisiana, she had gone to Europe. Stowed away in a ship, concealed inside some containers that would likely not be checked, considering how terrible they smelled, and how gooey the substance was. Beatrix wasn’t sure if it had been a chemical, but either way, she was immortal, and if the smell was toxic, it didn’t matter. She slept often anyway. She wouldn’t have noticed. 

They had docked in Lisbon, Portugal, where she had used the cover of the night to slip away and go clean herself up. She had assaulted a woman despite knowing better, and stolen her clothes. She compelled the woman to forget she was a vampire, but to allow her to stay. When the sun had come up, she was hiding safely in the basement of the woman’s house, which had a tunnel prepared for her escape if someone came looking. 

No one did. Everyday, the woman cooked for her, and let her feed in the evenings. Beatrix did not leave the house except to bathe under the moonlight, and sometimes, feed on someone else. She always gave them her blood after, but prayed no one would kill them before the blood exited their system. 

Many months passed that she was down there, terrified of what to do. As a siphon, she wasn’t used to just spontaneously trying to do magic, therefore she didn’t think to try it. She assumed the new surge of power she felt was from being a vampire.

It wasn’t until one evening that she was nearly slaughtered by another vampire. The woman had come from behind and attacked her, plunging her hand into her chest and gripping her heart, ready to rip it out. Beatrix had seen her life flash before her eyes, and she had thrust her own hand out to grip the woman, trying to siphon out of habit.

It had worked.

The woman released her heart, let out a yelp, and sped away. Beatrix had struggled to catch her breath, but when she did, she realized that her siphoning was still intact. When she had returned to her current residence, she had attempted a few spells, and was shocked when she realized that the magic was flowing through her as naturally as it had with her mother and the witches who finished raising her. 

Seeking to understand why she had managed to keep her magic, Beatrix left Lisbon, compelling a farmer on his way to Merida, Spain, to take her with him. Underneath his baskets of radishes and carrots, she’d been carried across into a new country, and had compelled another lonely woman to take her in. This time, she learned more. She met other vampires, and they spoke, teaching Beatrix that walking in daylight was possible but that the vampires needed a witch to help them with that. Beatrix had set to work, fabricating a daylight ring for herself. She briefly met with Spanish witches in Sevilla, then in Madrid, and finally in Zaragoza, before deciding to continue traveling, now with the identity of Ianira Soleil solidified.

With the help of other witches who she hid her vampire identity well from, Beatrix had arrived in Bordeaux, France, by 1710. There, she searched for members of the La Salle family. She found some in Bourges, though none seemed to vividly recall being descended from Robert Cavelier de La Salle. It wasn’t until 1715 that she found a few families near Dijon, who had records that proved them to be her relatives. She did not reveal her identity to them, as she learned that Robert had died in 1687, when she was just three years old. There would likely be no record of her, and they would have thought her to be lying. What she did find of interest, was that the La Salle’s shared ancestry with the Claire witches.

“Wait,” Kai had said when she had told him. “Claire witches? You’re a distant Claire witch?”

“Seems so,” she had replied. 

He had furrowed his brows in concentration. “We have the Ascendant,” he mused, referring to the gadget they’d found before leaving Portland. “And we have figured out that a Bennett witch’s blood will be necessary to get us out of here. Claires… Bennetts… sure you’re not related?”

It had given both of them hope. But it’d been knocked astray when Beatrix shook her head. “No. Trust me, I tried to find out if I was.”

Kai had not wanted to risk it. They were in San Diego when he had dragged her out to the beach, insisting they try to use the ascendant and harness the eclipse’s power from an open area above the sand. Hands linked, they had chanted, _Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea_. 

No luck. They had tried again the next day, this time spilling almost an entire artery full of Beatrix’s blood on the ascendant, and they had started the spell at the apex of the eclipse. _Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea._ Over and over again.

No avail. Kai had been angry. He had trashed a nearby bike shop, ripping things off the walls, throwing tools around. Beatrix had cleared it up with a small wave of her hand. 

Up until 1815, Beatrix had devoted her life to traveling and learning, wanting to strengthen herself as much as she could. She had been to Germany, England, Romania, Switzerland, and Ukraine, moving constantly and hiding, as witches were still not quite respected, and had to be in secret. She picked up what she could, never telling any her secret, though she supposed some had figured it out on their own, but been kind enough not to tell. 

When she had left Europe in around 1740, she moved into Asia through Russia, spending a few years living in Moscow, and eventually meeting Elizabeth Romanov, Empress from 1741 to 1762. When Beatrix left Russia and descended into Mongolia, and then China, she had found herself unwelcome, and had quickly left to Africa, where she took on the new name of Araminta Rodríguez. This journey proved to be the most educational.

She had learned more magic than she ever thought she could learn. She spent nearly two decades venturing through the continent and learning every form of magic that existed in that century. The witches there were not only accepting of siphoners, but they taught her to use her magic in ways that wouldn’t drain her so easily. That was when she started her own grimoire, creating spells mostly based off what she learned in Ethiopia, but adding flairs of what she learned in Europe. She progressed rapidly through the spells and through the country, but somehow, something was missing. 

There was only one woman who she told her secret to, in South Africa. The woman had theorized that perhaps her vampire nature was what held her back from using magic to its full potential, as she was technically not meant to exist in the form she was. Beatrix had considered it, and had left soon after to South America, keeping her same cover name as she planned making her way back up to Louisiana, all in due time. Though she did not spend as much time as she would have liked, she promised herself she would return soon, and explore the Yucatán Peninsula in detail. 

In 1790, she returned to the United States, settling briefly in the West before going inland, having planned to stop by New Orleans, which had been dubbed so in 1718 when Klaus Mikaelson and his siblings had helped to build the city. She remained fairly hidden, not wanting to draw attention to her presence there. She only interacted with one couple, helping them deliver their daughter, Céleste Dubois. She yearned to stay in the city and enjoy it, but she soon heard of a witch massacre that occurred in Mystic Falls, Virginia. She left Louisiana immediately to go investigate, but found no evidence of what had actually happened. She remained there in mourning, praying for the souls of the witches to be put to peace. 

In 1815, tired of not calling one singular place her home, she returned to New Orleans for good, planning to settle in, not expecting anyone to recognize her. Over a century had passed, and she doubted anyone had records of her anywhere. Unless an immortal being had known her in the past, there would be no way anyone would remember her.

“That’s where you met the Mikaelsons,” Kai had said when they’d passed through Texas, on their way to see New Orleans themselves. “Right?”

“You’re so eager,” she teased, nudging him as he drove. She wouldn’t go as far as to say that they were friends, but at least they hadn’t tried to murder each other. They both had tempers and no remorse when it came to committing murder. What’s more, Kai gave Beatrix someone to talk to, and Beatrix gave Kai someone to listen to. If they worked together, they’d get out. Eventually. Maybe.

“Shut up, Trixie,” Kai had said, elbowing her hard and swerving off the road as if threatening to crash the car again. But no, he wouldn’t do that.

The second year’s difficulties had lain in the fact that they weren’t sure how much more they could handle. The first year all the denial had gotten them through sufficiently well. But now that they’d accepted the fact they were indeed stuck, and so far, none of their attempts had worked, there came agony. 

It was more painful because they knew they couldn’t really die. Perhaps it was better that they’d killed each other many times at the start to establish said fact early on. It would have hurt more if they tried to kill themselves to be rid of their anxiety and misery, only to find out they simply would not die. That definitely would have been worse. 

They still slept by themselves, both of them not wanting the other to know how angry they were at this arrangement. Sharing such negative emotions was in neither’s best interests because all it would lead to was broken furniture and blood and debris that would need to be cleaned up. 

Neither would admit it so openly, but it was nice to go through it with another. To know that their suffering was shared. That their determination could be fused to find a solution. One day. But neither knew whether they’d lose their mind before that day came or not.

Bea frowned in Kai’s direction. “I don’t like being called Trixie. It’s weird.”

“Well, you need a nickname. It’s been two years and all I ever call you is Beatrix or La Salle. Boring.”

“All I ever call you is Kai.”

He thought for a second, humming in tune with the gentle rumble of the car’s engine, allowing the breeze to fill both their ears and allow them to just relax for a bit before he spoke up. “How about your nickname is Trixter. Like, a trickster, but instead of ‘trick’ it’s ‘Trix?’”

Beatrix winced but gave him a small grin. “Okay. I can tolerate that.”

“You can call me CobraKai if you really want a nickname, though it’s longer than my actual name.”

“CobraKai… like the dojo in Karate Kid?”

“Yeah! You’ve watched it?”

“Darling, I’ve seen almost every movie ever made. I’m sure I’ve been a background character for many of them, too.”

Kai stuck his tongue out. “Ew. You haven’t called me ‘darling’ in awhile. You lost your streak.”

“Pity, I wasn’t even aware that I was on one. Why does it bother you so much?”

“That’s what my mother called me before she stopped paying attention to me.”

There was a beat of silence, and all Beatrix could do was sigh, leaning back in her seat.

“Are you ever going to tell me your real name?” Kai asked, sounding a tad impatient.

Beatrix smirked. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you have to guess.”

“Oh come on, I don’t even remember what your mother’s name was before she changed it to Soleil. I just remember it was long and complicated and foreign.”

“Ixazaluoh.”

Kai cringed. “Yeah, forget I asked. Oh look, we’re out of Texas. Hello, Louisiana. What city— kidding, it’s Shreveport. Ever been there?”

“Can’t say I have, actually,” Beatrix mumbled, laying her seat back and putting her feet on the dashboard. “To be honest, I haven’t really gone anywhere in Louisiana outside New Orleans. The bayou, of course, but never into another major city.”

“Let’s not drive deep into the bayou, unless we want to ditch this car. I kinda like this one.” For effect, he pet the steering wheel appreciatively. 

“Me too. The seats are super comfortable. I could actually fall asleep here.”

“No point doing that, we have trillions of houses at our disposal.”

That comment brought back the memory of her home. They could probably go and see it now. The furniture would be different, she hadn’t lived there since 1901, or maybe earlier. The majority of the time she lived in New Orleans, she had lived in the Mikaelson compound. Her room had been nearest to Kol’s, but all the siblings visited her there constantly. As well as Marcel.

Marcel. She hadn’t thought of him in so long. She supposed it pained her more to think of him, because he still knew she was alive, while the Mikaelsons all thought that she’d died in 1919. What was he doing at the moment? She had never arrived to meet him on Christmas, like she said she would. The French Quarter Coven had taken her, and next thing, she was in Portland.

“What are you thinking?”

Kai could be nosy in a way that suggested he didn’t care, but it was obvious that he did worry about her going down a self-destructive spiral if he didn’t check in on her every now and then. She tried to do the same to him, but he discussed his emotions far less. Not that he had many, aside from anger. He felt nothing. No real joy or guilty or sadness. Just pure anger that sometimes, he channeled in all the wrong ways.

“About my home,” said Beatrix, not about to withhold any information from him. “About the people I left behind— one person, specifically, who I care a lot about.”

“Your ex?”

“Bloody hell,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead. “You are obsessed with finding out about my romantic and sexual past, aren’t you?”

“Well, you always omit that! It’d be the closest thing I have to a television drama and you leave out the best parts.”

“What do you even want to hear, Kai? Who I slept with in Romania? In Brazil? What does it matter? Over three hundred years, I have every right to have had flings and such. It’s not supposed to be for your entertainment.”

He smirked, apparently pleased he had hit some sort of nerve. “Well, who is it that you care a lot about? That you’re thinking of?”

“His name is Marcel Gerard.”

“And who is he? This is the first time you mention someone by name who isn’t a Mikaelson.”

“He is a Mikaelson, just not by birth.”

“Well? What is he, then? What, is he the vampire that killed you and helped turn you in the first place? You two ended up becoming friends?”

There was a forlorn look in her eyes. Kai didn’t know when to quit, and he nudged her, but Beatrix was silent. 

Kai stopped bugging her, but clearly, was still itching to know more. “Are you going to tell me when we reach New Orleans?” he asked.

“Maybe. Now shut up.”

“Only if it means you’ll be quiet.”

“Deal.”

They were silent for the remaining four and a half hours it took for them to finally arrive in New Orleans. Beatrix only began to speak when it came time for her to give him directions on where to turn, how far to go down a street. 

As night fell, they arrived at the Mikaelson Mansion. Kai parked the car in the driveway, and Beatrix reached back for her bags before going inside, sighing happily when she found the light switch was still where it had been before.

“Let me guess,” Kai said in a bit of a snarky voice. “This is where you lost it to one of the Originals.” 

Immediately, the smile that’d been on Beatrix’s face fell, and she had to force her fangs back, restraining from sinking them into his throat and just enjoying a silent night without him. “No. It isn’t. This is where I met them formally. Gods— you’re disgusting. Let me guess, you lost it in a parking lot and it was with the only girl or guy stupid enough to be vulnerable to you.”

Kai’s eyes darkened, and he looked more furious than she’d ever seen him in awhile. “I’d really hate to stain the floors with blood when we just walked in,” he sneered, kicking aside the door before storming upstairs to find a room. Beatrix rolled her eyes and followed once she heard him close a door, going to set her bags in the room that had been Rebekah’s, before returning downstairs and finding the refrigerator in the kitchen to be empty. She supposed the property hadn’t been used in awhile. Marcel always did hate it, he must have shut it down.

“Well?” 

The angry voice made her turn around. She crossed her arms, seeing Kai fidgeting with the Ascendant. “Is there anything to eat?”

“No,” she said blandly. “We have to go out to get food.”

He grunted, muttering under his breath how he’d driven for long enough already, and that he didn’t want to go to sleep hungry. 

“I was planning to go retrieve food by myself,” said Beatrix coolly, storming out past him. He caught her arm, and she resisted the urge to throw him out the glass doors that were behind her. 

“Why do you never tell me the things I actually want to know?” he said, squeezing her bicep as if intending to hurt her. 

“Maybe because the most interesting things in my life are also the hardest to talk about,” she hissed. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows because I’m a Heretic and because I befriended the most powerful vampires in the world. That’s the problem of getting close with _anyone_. You get hurt when you lose them.”

“They can’t die! How the hell did you lose them? You’re just being sensitive.”

“Hey, dickwad, in case you forget, I’m going chronologically so you don’t miss context and ask me a thousand questions once we get to the good part. I chose to talk to you, and you chose to listen, so just let me go at my own pace.”

Kai released her, not even sure why he was angry in the first place. Perhaps it pissed him off that she could be so lively— at least lively enough to cook for the two of them every day and talk his ear off. She even talked in her sleep, but always in a language he didn’t understand. 

“Fine, just go.” He stalked back upstairs. Beatrix rolled her eyes and left, returning within an hour with several groceries. She stocked the fridge and got to work making their meal— some chicken and salad, because she was too tired to put much effort into anything else. 

He came down again when he smelled the food. Beatrix was already eating, but she had zoned out. He sat across from her, mumbling a half hearted ‘thank you’ before digging in. 

Beatrix wasn’t listening. She had paused eating, and was staring out of the glass door, to the dark backyard that wasn’t visible to either of them. Words and chants and young laughter rang in her ear. She recalled the young boy who’d happily run through the doors to meet her when Elijah had brought her to stay with them. How he’d bowed respectfully, how he’d introduced himself, proud of the name his new guardian had given him. 

_Marcellus._ He was so pleased to have a name and to have a home and a family, as dysfunctional as it was. He didn’t necessarily know that yet, but he was pleased with them even when he found out. 

Beatrix didn’t realize she’d been crying until Kai waved his hand in front of her face. “Hello? What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

She quickly wiped her eyes, shaking her head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I’ll cook something better tomorrow.” She finished her plate wordlessly, ignoring Kai’s stare. She hated how curious he could be, sometimes.

“Beatrix. Who’s Marcellus?”

What use was there, denying him that knowledge?

She stood, setting her plate in the sink, not facing him as she gripped the edge of the counter. “Marcellus Gerard,” she whispered. “He’s my family. The only real family I have left. To him, I’m his older sister. I raised him. But…”

The laughter, the joy, the pain, every time Marcel had taken a fall, how she had nursed him, how she had been the gentle voice he had needed in comparison to Klaus, who just wanted him to be a man.

“He was like a son to me,” she breathed at last.


	4. Chapter 4

**By the third year, neither could deny that they were likely going to go psychotic.**

“I’d be turning twenty five this year,” Kai mentioned one evening. They had stayed in the Mikaelson Manor since they arrived, and had enjoyed the colors of New Orleans even without the people who made it so lively. “Yet, I still look twenty two. I wonder if I would have aged much.”

“My count is three hundred and thirteen,” Beatrix hummed. “Congratulations to me.”

She missed everyone more that year. Kai hadn’t asked questions after the revelation that she’d practically raised Marcel Gerard. Even though she wasn’t his biological mother, it was clear to Kai that being away from him pained her. They must have been very close, and he for once didn’t feel like taunting her about her past. He wondered what it might be like to feel the way she did. To have three hundred years of pain and joy and family. He had never liked his. Clearly, she had made her own and enjoyed it.

Thus, the third year, it had been far too calm. Not many snarky comments. Still sleeping in separate rooms, still sharing meals, but not many conversations. They took turns going out to explore, coming home at late hours of the night. About a few months into the new year, Beatrix had noticed Kai came home with a bloody shirt one day, but it appeared that he didn’t see her watching him. She suspected he had tried to kill himself, to see if it would work that time, if inflicted on its own, in a secluded area. No such luck.

They’d thought the second year was hard, but the third year was worse. Neither was sure at what point it’d just be calm again. Neither knew what their count was. Three of twenty? Of one hundred? Of forever? Both understood exactly why the world was dubbed as a prison. And both hated the Gemini Coven more every day.

Since they hadn’t talked, Beatrix had not yet told him about her time with the Mikaelsons. How could she? It would just be another roller coaster of emotions for her and it’d give Kai new material to tease her with. He called her Trixter anytime he ever needed to speak to her, and she addressed him as CobraKai, but apart from that, neither had much interaction with the other. They withdrew, and that’s when the nightmares began.

Beatrix had never been one to have nightmares. It wasn’t in her nature, not really. She usually had a dreamless sleep or dreamt something stupid, like that she was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. She did at one point try it in real life, reminiscing on her days studying the medications when she was at Duke.

Her undergraduate degree. Thinking back to that was so weird. She’d only ever gone because Marcel had mentioned Law School in the fifties and she had decided to go do something less witchy and vampiric. 

Usually, her nightmares made sense. She’d lost someone or something, and couldn’t find it. Or she was forced to kill someone she cared about. Or she watched someone else be killed. Whoever created her dreams had no flair for dramatics, just pure angst.

Some nights she woke up and made no sound. Other nights, she thrashed and screamed. She started to put spells around her room so Kai would not hear her. It would be so embarrassing if he did. 

It was strange to think that the nightmares started when they stopped talking so often. It was as if the lack of contact with the one person nearest her was making her paranoid in her brain. If she couldn’t keep a connection with the one person she shared a prison with, how could she expect to connect with her friends when she returned to their world? If she returned to their world.

“Trixter?”

She turned around. He probably needed something. She was lounging on the floor of the parlor after several hours playing random tunes on the piano. Melodies that Elijah had taught to both her and Marcel. 

“Whatcha need, CobraKai?” she asked, looking up. He held up the Ascendant. “Want to try again today? There’s this spot out in the bayou where the sun hits really nice. We’d be chest deep in water but it’s worth a try. Well, chest deep by my standards. Maybe too deep for you.”

Beatrix scowled. “I’m not much shorter than you, genius. Besides, I can use magic to be at your level, it’s not a difficult spell. Either way, I’m down. Let’s try.”

This was the first time they had tried in awhile. Looking back, it was weird to think of it in those words. Fresh out of Medical School in 1960, and she wanted to be an obstetrician and a gynecologist. She had spoken to couples constantly trying to have kids. At the time, she’d set her magic aside, wanting to do it the human way. She wished she hadn’t done that. Some couples could have used the extra boost of good fortune. Fertility spells nowadays weren’t necessarily dark magic, not on humans. Sure, their baby might be born a witch but the chances were low to begin with.

Kai didn’t offer her help to get up. He simply turned on his heel and walked out to the waiting car. She stood and followed him, tying her hair up in a messy bun that looked more like a knot, but it didn’t matter considering that the only person who would see it was already a sociopath with tendencies to critique and comment on everything under the sun.

She was silent on the ride there. He had given her the Ascendant to hold, and she’d fiddled with it, careful not to break it. He’d torture her if she broke it. Not that she couldn’t handle it, but after the past year where they’d hardly spoken, she didn’t want to make him snap. They could both feel they were about to blow a fuse.

Even with each other, they were so utterly deprived of human contact. What else could Kai point out about her that he hadn’t already said? And even with travels, it was hard not to recall that usually, there would be people throwing festivities and such. Sure, both of them might have been very abrasive and careless if they did come across a human. But it would have been nice to talk to someone new, or talk at all in a civilized manner. 

They arrived out in the bayou and parked the car near the edge of the water. Kai got out and kicked his shoes off, before removing his pants, revealing he had swimming trunks under them. He peeled off his shirt, tossing all his clothes back in the car, and taking the Ascendant from a very confused Beatrix, who was staring at his bare chest.

“What?” he asked, smirking at her and winking. “Tempted?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m twelve times older than you. Just— you didn’t tell me you were planning on making it a swimming party. I would have brought a bathing suit.”

“Sucks,” he said with a shrug. Beatrix gritted her teeth and tore off her sweater, shoes, and socks. She looked down at her jeans and growled before removing them. It was too far for her to speed home, and those jeans were quite nice. She then looked at her t-shirt. She wouldn’t mind getting it wet. She wasn’t about to give Kai the satisfaction of knowing that he made her uncomfortable.

She followed him into the water, waving a hand gently over its surface to warm it up. Kai noticed, and looked back. “Too cold for you, Trixter?”

“I’m in cloth underwear, I’d prefer it not be sticking to me and feeling chilly simultaneously.”

“You could have raided a Victoria’s Secret on the way. We passed several.”

“I bet you’d love to see me buy an overpriced set of those in real life just to know that my money is being wasted, hmm?”

“Yes. I’d like nothing more in the world.”

Both cracked a small grin. 

After trekking so deep into the water that Beatrix was tiptoeing to make sure her chin wasn’t submerged, Kai stopped and turned to face her, holding the Ascendant.

_"Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea. Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea."_

The eclipse came and went and they were still there, except the Ascendant was drained in both of their blood this time, and there was now a pool of red between them.

“Shit,” hissed Kai. “Damn it— Damn it! Fuck! Why couldn’t you just have been related to the Bennett witches, huh? Fuck— what’s the point of you being so goddamn old if you’re not even going to be related to anyone of use?”

Beatrix scoffed and flicked her hand, sending him flying back across the water, bouncing once on the surface as if he were a skipping rock before plunging into the depths. He emerged looking angry. Beatrix just frowned at him and turned to swim out.

He caught her. More like, assaulted her. He yanked her back by the ankle and shoved her head into the water, his iron grip improving with every day. She thrashed, trying to kick him back, but she wasn’t expecting this. She hadn’t had to fight for her life in awhile. She hadn’t even swam in over ninety years. He gripped the back of her head fiercely and pressed her down, holding both her legs so she couldn’t kick him. It was harder to try and concentrate even with her hands free to perform any spell. She was drowning. He was drowning her. That asshole.

Even when she stopped fighting, he didn’t cease holding her down. She was probably faking anyway. Only, she wasn’t. He waited about two more minutes before letting her out of the water, and when he flipped her over, he found she was indeed dead. She’d come back faster this time, too. It was a matter of minutes. It took each of them hours, still, to return when killed properly— for her it meant being staked. 

He scooped up her body and pulled out of the water. It was different seeing her dead like this. She looked normal. When he’d killed her in the past, she always turned gray and had bulged ash colored veins protruding from where they were normally on her body. He carried her to the shore and flopped her down, climbing out on his own. He popped the trunk and brought out a towel for himself, beginning to dry his face.

That’s when his head was slammed down. She was back. She bashed his head against the trunk door, making him yell out a string of curses as she shoved him into the water, then waved her hand in a circular motion with one finger pointing up at the sky, mumbling a string of words in a language he didn’t know. A whirlpool formed at his feet, and he was sucked in, his hands flailing and legs kicking as he tried to fight it. She dragged her hand down, and the whirlpool disappeared, as well as him. She waited five minutes exactly before cutting her hand through the air. His body appeared facedown on the water. At least it’d take him hours to revive. She’d have some piece and quiet. Out of the goodness of her heart, she muttered another word and flicked her wrist to turn his body faceup.

She grabbed the towel he’d been using and dried herself before getting dressed once more and reclining the seat of the car. She lay on her side, tucking her hands under her head, and closing her eyes. She might as well sleep. 

Beatrix woke up about four hours later when the sun was setting, and she heard him spluttering and coughing. She heard him let out more curses. “She used my fucking towel,” she heard him hiss as he presumably dried himself. She heard him getting dressed, and cracked an eye open when she felt him climb in the driver’s seat. She could feel him staring at her, daring her to say something. She remained still and quiet, letting out a puff from her mouth.

“I know you’re not asleep, Trixter. You don’t breathe that nicely.”

Of course he’d had to insult her again. 

She opened her eyes and looked up boredly. “Well, we’re even. So shut up.”

His fist tightened around the steering wheel as if he’d considered beating her over the head, but refrained from it. “Yeah, I guess we are.” He set the Ascendant down on her lap. 

She wondered if it was physically impossible for him to apologize. Maybe it was.

“Are you ever going to tell me anything about your life again?” he asked boredly. “Like I said before, it’s the closest thing I have to a television drama. The only source of entertainment.”

She let out a sigh from her nostrils as she sat up, straightened her seat, and buckled up. “Once we get home and shower. Deal?”

“Deal.”

He had driven home rather quickly. Either he was eager to hear the story or he was eager to get some alone time in the shower. He smelled terrible.

When they arrived, they had gone their separate ways and gotten under the water quickly. Beatrix took her time scrubbing, feeling like she needed to be cleansed. She washed her hair thoroughly and even treated herself to further cleansing with all the products she’d snatched off the shelves in the stores. Nearly an hour later, she came down to find Kai had apparently been waiting for awhile.

“Took you long enough,” he muttered, crossing his arms.

“You dragged me into bayou water, it’s usually better to clean thoroughly,” she said with a wry smile. She sat in her usual spot, turning her body to face him. “I came back in 1815. Got a place of my own. Lay low for a bit. At the time, the governor lived in this house, I think, but the Mikaelsons were living with him. I came to a party here in 1816. Met Rebekah Mikaelson— she’s the youngest of the siblings. We had a nice time, we bonded, she had just started a thing with the governor’s eldest son, Emil. We chatted about that, about her, about me. She introduced me to her older brother, Elijah— he’s the second eldest. Technically third eldest, though, the oldest Mikaelson child— a girl— died of the plague. The brother after her is Finn, and I never met him, he’s been daggered for ages.”

It took a slight deviation for Beatrix to explain the concept of daggering and White Oak Ash to Kai, who was quite intrigued. At least he was interested, and he learned quickly which sibling was who and how they’d become vampires in the first place.

“So their mother did it,” Kai said. “A witch. But their father hunted them, especially your sire, Klaus, because he’s a hybrid, but his werewolf side is suppressed.”

“Yes,” Beatrix confirmed. “After I met Elijah, I met Klaus. He remembered me, and I stayed that night pretty late just chatting with them. Over the next few years, we met often. I told them about what I was. In 1819, Elijah offered for me to live with them, but I didn’t think it proper. I didn’t want to get too attached to them, and either way, I liked where I lived. It was nice.

“They could be brutal, though. Klaus killed Emil in 1820 because he defended Rebekah, who wanted to turn him and be with him forever. At the funeral, the four of us were walking in the back. Out in the backyard, over there, they had a young slave boy. He was being whipped. Klaus saved him, and he gave him the name Marcellus. I didn’t meet him right away— Elijah sent me home and asked me to prepare a room for him. I was standing in the kitchen when I heard laughter… talking… and soon, the little boy came in through the door. He was adorable. Ten years old, bright, strong. He bowed and he introduced himself to me. Told me he was Marcellus Gerard. It was so sweet to see how proud he was.

“Needless to say, I moved in. The governor was soon gone— Marcel was his illegitimate son, and mistreated him. Klaus was set to be his father. Marcel took a fancy to Rebekah, because of her beauty. Elijah took him under his wing and was like another father. So it partially fell on me to be the mother figure. I didn’t mind, though. Marcel saw me as a sister, and I saw him as a brother, but he really was practically my son. When he was sad, I was there for him to talk to, I was someone he could trust, someone who wouldn’t judge or push him too hard. Whenever he was frustrated, I helped him calm down, I helped him control his emotions, and I made sure neither Klaus or Elijah overwhelmed him. I knew how to play piano already and so did Elijah. After Klaus taught Marcel to read, we began to teach him piano. Elijah was more skilled, so he conducted most lessons. Taught me several things too.”

“Elijah is the ex, isn’t he?” Kai interrupted, wiggling his eyebrows. “You boned him.”

Beatrix scrunched her nose up. “You don’t have to say ‘boned.’ But yes, he is the ex. Let me finish. In 1821, they undaggered Kol— the youngest brother. Klaus was not really falling into his ‘father’ role as well as Elijah and I expected. Kol and him had always shared a more… brutal nature, so they had their fun slaughtering others. I always had more self control, but I won’t deny I could be pretty bloodthirsty. Kol had been the only sibling who really tapped into his magic before they were turned, so he and I had quite a lot to talk about. If he’d been born a siphon, he definitely would have been the Original Heretic— not me. We understood each other. Shared knowledge of both our travels. Rebekah used to tease I was his ‘Witchy Friend’ because none of the siblings ever understood him. They sort of always excluded him from their little 'always and forever.'”

Kai interrupted yet again. “Let me guess, you had him too?”

“You’re rude. We weren’t romantically involved, but yes, there was a point where we just kind of… went for it. It was a ‘friends with benefits’ kind of agreement. I’d never been in a solid relationship and he hadn’t been in one in a very long time. It was fun. We had a connection and we still knew deep down we were best friends. We were okay with that arrangement, and it wasn’t harmful. It was just… an issue with Elijah.”

_“You’re being absurd, darling,” Kol had said, his voice low to try and be quiet, but a devilish smirk on his face. Beatrix, bare under the sheets, rolled her eyes and held them up, covering herself. “I have to go pretty far without clothes,” she whispered. “Not taking any risks.”_

_The door had opened before Beatrix could get to it. She stumbled back and fell, making Kol laugh and look up, seeing Elijah in the doorway._

_“What, pray tell, are you doing?” he asked sternly, staring between the both of them._

_“Well, you’re interrupting it,” Kol said, stretching his arms out toward the messed up room. “It’s not that hard to figure out, is it?” He wiggled his eyebrows._

_Beatrix gritted her teeth and covered her face as Elijah leaned onto the frame, staring at his younger brother before turning his gaze to Beatrix. “Might I suggest using several spells to conceal both the noise and your bodies?” he said, not amused. “You are a witch, after all, Beatrix. Marcellus is still in this house.”_

_“No he bloody isn’t,” Kol snapped, no longer smiling. “Trix made sure he wasn’t home. The only nosy prat here is you. No one told you to use your vampire hearing to spy on us. I don’t see Niklaus or Rebekah here. You’re the only one listening in. Did you like what you heard? I bet you were down there, listening and drinking, just waiting to hear—"_

_Elijah had lunged forward, but Beatrix had waved her hand, creating a barrier that he collided with. She sprang up, muttering a spell under her breath and turning herself invisible before slipping out._

“He was jealous,” Kai deduced. “Or just a pervert.”

The comment made Beatrix laugh. “Jealous, yes, but at the time I didn’t realize. It wasn’t even a big deal, Kol and I took enough preventative measures to not be indecent around Marcel, and tried to be secretive to not disturb the others. But he caught us several times and other instances, interrupted us before we began, which was beyond aggravating. All intentional, I assume. Elijah started asking me to do all this work around the mansion and with Marcel— wanting me to give him extra lessons and take him out into the city and blah, blah, blah. It got to the point that I had no time to myself. Eventually, Kol and I just agreed to stop our little bonding experiment and stay friends, but being as temperamental as always, Kol lashed out. He started being very cross with Marcel, taunting him and scaring him. I tried to get him to stop but he was really furious, he was blaming the boy because he couldn't take on one of his brothers. One night, he compelled all these people to perform Hamlet with actual death scenes and fed Marcel his blood so we could turn him into a vampire. Elijah and Klaus were furious. They daggered Kol again. I thought things would be better, I thought everything would be fine, and soon Kol could be awakened when Marcel was older. But Elijah got it in his head that he should be distant with Marcel so that Klaus and Marcel could bond properly. Stupid idea.”

_“Are you bloody kidding me?” Beatrix hissed, coming into Elijah’s room one afternoon that Klaus took Marcel out for a sword fighting lesson with Rebekah in the open field. “You’re such a hypocrite.”_

_Elijah had been reading, and he looked up at Beatrix, confused. “Excuse me?” He looked almost amused, as if thinking she was about to have a different conversation._

_“Don’t act dumb,” she hissed. “Marcel! You’ve been treating him like— like rat dung! You just started neglecting him! Do you have any idea how that impacts a child? Or did you forget that you both were getting along really well and it was helping him get out of his shell?”_

_Elijah shot up, a smile no longer on his face. “I told you already, Beatrix. Marcellus needs to bond with Niklaus. It will do him well. He is meant to be the boy’s father.”_

_“Klaus can still be a perfectly good father figure even if you act kindly to the boy! You didn’t have to cast him aside and pretend like you don’t consider him kin!”_

_“Beatrix, you are neither Marcellus’s mother or his sister. You do not choose for the boy.”_

_She glared at him, her fists shaking like she considered blasting him out of the window. “Always and forever,” she said lowly. “That’s what you preach, isn’t it? Perhaps I don’t mind the fact I’m not included in that. I get it, I’m not a Mikaelson, and I will never be a Mikaelson. But Marcel is, even if it isn’t by birth. Maybe I have no say in this but I won’t refrain from telling you that you are doing more harm than good.” She scoffed and crossed her arms, unclamping her fists, her knuckles having turned white. “And I thought you were the noble and smart Mikaelson.”_

_Before he could reply, she stormed away._

“I stayed in their home until Marcellus was of age,” she continued, wringing her hands together. “I did my best to guide him, to help him understand our world and to have proper morals. I’m thankful that he was never as rash as Klaus. I visited over the years, but mostly kept to myself. Stayed away from the French Quarter Coven witches at first because I knew they wouldn’t accept me. Wandered around town, met people. I practiced spellwork in my home. Didn’t do much of it, honestly— it felt weird without Kol there. When Marcel and Rebekah started their relationship, Marcel asked me to help and distract Klaus. He didn’t want them together.”

Kai smirked. “And this is the part where you went for Original brother number three.”

“No, number two. Elijah and I didn’t get together until much after that.”

“You’re sadistic,” Kai said, chuckling like it was the funniest thing in the world. “Three Original brothers?”

_“What a lovely dinner you made for us, Beatrix,” Klaus said, leaning back in his chair at the head of the table. He looked pleased. “The blood was exquisite.”_

_“I was certain you’d like it,” she said, smiling. She’d asked for a private dinner with Klaus and Elijah, giving Marcel and Rebekah some time alone._

_Klaus had shot her one of his signature wicked grins. “Yes, love, I did like it. One must wonder where you got the blood.”_

_“Compulsion isn’t difficult, darling,” she had answered, pouring him another glass of blood. “Many of the women who live with me are quite friendly. You ask them for a donation and they don’t mind contributing. It pleases me that we share the same tastes. I chose the ones who I think taste best.”_

_Klaus raised his glass, staring intently at Beatrix, before turning to Elijah, who was practically wearing a poker face. Most of the conversation that evening had been between the two brothers, with Beatrix giving some input every now and then directly to Klaus. The hybrid was no idiot. He sensed what was up._

_“She sounds like Kol, doesn’t she?” Klaus noted to Elijah. “She uses the word ‘darling’ much more since before we daggered him.” Elijah had nodded, sipping from his own glass to avoid answering._

_Amused, Klaus chuckled. “Well, I must wonder… when are you two going to stop ignoring each other and just go to bed together already?”_

_Beatrix’s cheeks turned beet read, but Elijah had hardly reacted. This made her frown. “Elijah is not interested, darling,” she said, offering Klaus a cheeky smile. “Either way, I’m more likely to want to sleep with you, Klaus. You are my sire after all.”_

_The hybrid had raised his eyebrow, smirking up at her, and leaning his chair a bit further back. His brother made no sound, as if he hadn’t even heard them. “Really, love?” Klaus asked. “Just because I’m your sire? Don’t mistaken me for Kol, but I am definitely not bad on the eyes.”_

_“How sweet of you to compare yourself to your baby brother,” Beatrix teased, tapping her foot three times under the table to let Rebekah and Marcel know that they were starting to finish dinner._

“I flirted with him, a lot,” Beatrix stated. “He was my friend, don’t get me wrong. Maybe most of it was to help Marcel and Rebekah but I didn’t mind it. Elijah never said anything. I thought perhaps he just didn’t like me at all but tolerated me because Rebekah, Kol, and Marcel liked me very much.”

Kai just smirked and shook his head. “Still can’t believe it. Three Original brothers… no wonder this gets sad…”


	5. Chapter 5

**After the fourth year, they stopped counting.**

Time passed on and it ached. Burned them in their core. Beatrix had finished her story, finished revealing her pain, and just like that, it made them numb. They started being reckless again. They started sleeping in rooms further away to not hear how the other moaned and screamed and sobbed in the middle of the night. They spoke to keep each other sane. They traveled and ate and trashed places. As more and more years passed, they seemed to have lost any hope that they would ever get out.

Beatrix wished things were simpler. She wished that she wasn’t being punished for merely being turned against her will. She tried desperately to think of what could be worse. Truly, there was nothing. It was worse here than when Klaus daggered Rebekah in 1835 for her relationship with Marcel and furiously accused Beatrix of lying about her affections for him. It was worse here than the decades she spent without Kol and Rebekah, with only the company of a very hostile Klaus, a new vampire Marcellus, and a silent Elijah who seemed intent on only giving her the silent treatment without resolution.

She supposed 1887 was when things had turned around, but she had a very difficult time focusing on the good that had come after such an uncomfortable period being unable to leave out of a lack of planning that could put her in danger of being discovered, and a need for Mikaelson kinship that could only come if she stayed. She tried to remember the day that Rebakah ran up and hugged her when Klaus removed the dagger from her. The day that Rebekah forced Elijah and Beatrix into a room and they had their first conversation in a long time, about the piano. Elijah had taught her a song. She had taught him a poem she had made, that she wanted to make improvements to and have someone else publish one day.

From there came the feeling of bliss that she yearned for even more than escape. If she could just have that satisfaction once more, she would be at peace. To feel the joy when Elijah took her to Italy for their first date. The pride and hope when he was vulnerable and spoke to her every dark truth that he needed to release, which led her to reveal her true name to him. The love when they shared their first kiss because they embraced the darkest parts of each other, and meshed into one being that could see the beauty in things others could not. 

“You’re drooling again.”

Beatrix looked up dejectedly at Kai, who was eating upside down for the fourth time in the past month. Neither of them had physically aged, but they looked jaded. Kai had let his beard and mustache grow out. His clothes were darker now, but still as random as always. He refused to cut his hair or let her cut his hair. If her estimations were correct, they were quite near the ten year mark of their stay. In real time, he would have been in his thirties. He certainly looked it. 

Kai looked down at her. She was on the floor, laying on her side, having been sliding a small bouncy ball back and forth against the wall. The proximity between them would have been unfathomable years ago. Now, they mutually accepted each other’s presence, respected the boundaries. No murder attempts had happened in quite a long time. Although they were distant, they were closer than before. They only had each other, and had to make the best of it.

Beatrix wiped the drool off her mouth and pushed the ball back into the wall, making a small dent. “You haven’t tried eating soup upside down yet,” she mused in response. “I can make that later, and you can try it.”

Kai seemed to like this. “Yes, I actually would like that. I think I can manage it. If you let me siphon off of you.”

“Sure.”

Then came the magic. As time had gone on, she had kept her promise to teach him. They weren’t the most exciting lessons, but he was focused, and they moved quickly. She allowed him to siphon from her to practice his spells. Of course, in mediation it was really just enabling him to get a feel for spellwork to a greater extent. Once he had magic of his own, it would be a different story trying to control it. She let him siphon a bit more after every lesson, but it would be impossible to tell if this would benefit him in the real world.

They had tapped into darker magic more recently. Beatrix had started learning it first, and Kai had theorized that maybe her magic wasn’t at full potential outside because she wasn’t meant to practice regular magic. 

“Think about it,” he had said, looking more excited than he had in a long time. “Your mother took in dark magic to escape and that dark magic helped her birth you and protect you for a long time. You’ve got a natural aptitude for darker magic. It’s practically your birthright! Once you tap into darker magic, maybe it won’t destroy you like it does to weaker people! It should be your true nature.”

Beatrix had been shocked, but it made perfect sense. “Yeah… we can try it. I don’t know whether dark magic will affect us less in here, but I can do it. I-I can try and get into it, and I shouldn’t lose myself to it, if what you're saying is right. They said my magic would be devastating, and it already can be, but it doesn’t fit their description. That’s— that’s what it must have meant. It would be devastating if I tapped into what I was born to do. As long as I’m careful, things will be fine. As long as I don’t abandon my magic again…”

Kai had been shocked on the day she told him about her magic. 

In 1901 when Kol had been undaggered once more, Beatrix and Kol had traveled together, where she had taken the cover name of Hilda Mikaelson. He took her to Arabia for a few years to study _Kemiya_ , which meshed the scientific and the spiritual. It had been a bit of a darker magic, but Beatrix had picked it up with ease and an accuracy Kol claimed he hadn’t seen in centuries. 

In 1903, however, they had rushed home. They had heard of two major threats— Rayna Cruz and the Gemini Coven. First, they had gotten word that Rayna Cruz, the vampire hunter, had managed to mark one of the famed Heretics. Fearing that they might be onto her existence, Beatrix had panicked, and they’d left back to America. Upon their arrival, they heard of the next batch of trouble— the prison world made for the Heretics. When they returned to New Orleans, Elijah had recommended for her to hide her magic so that she could not be tracked by the Coven, and Kol, who had become friendly with the French Quarter witches, asked them to protect Beatrix, specifically from Rayna Cruz. With many spells placed over her, Beatrix was bound into the Mikaelson compound. 

She had not suffered much, at first. Elijah had been there, and with her magic hidden in a piano key, there was always quick access in case she needed it, and the cloaking spell made sure the key would only be accessed by Beatrix, Elijah, or Kol. However, Klaus began to grow more impatient with the fact that Beatrix could not perform magic. In the past, she had assisted him with spells whenever he needed it, within reason. Now, however, he was angry that she was not wanting to help. He tried to coax her into it, by attempting to reignite the old flame between them, but it only let to discord between the three brothers. Kol thought that Klaus had no right to ask Beatrix to sacrifice her safety just to do spells for him, and had become closer with the French Quarter Coven to devise a plan to put Klaus down.

Then came the rift. The witches divided, either siding with Kol or with Klaus. Beatrix couldn’t blame those who sided with the hybrid Mikaelson. They must have assumed he’d be on the winning side. She had dared to take back her magic in 1914 to assist Kol, Mary Alice Claire, and a witch named Astrid to create a dagger that would affect Klaus. Even though there came great risk with Beatrix practicing magic again, since either the Gemini Coven could find her or the French Quarter witches would discover who she truly was, she dared to practice Kemiya and fabricate the dagger, along with the help of the other two witches. The power source had been insufficient, and Kol became obsessed with stealing a paragon diamond from an older woman who had it in her possession.

That was where it all went wrong. Kol had lost control, and Beatrix had been unable to stop him, and against her morals, had helped him massacre many innocent humans in a church. Before they could get the paragon diamond to a safe location, they had been caught by Klaus, who had the two French Quarter witches trapped in the Dowager Fauline Cottage. He took the diamond, and pulled Kol and Beatrix to the home.

Elijah had been angry with her. He had been worried sick because she had not told him anything. How could she? When would he have ever approved? With her heart in his hand, he’d made her put her magic back in the piano key. He then took it, hiding it with the paragon diamond. At Christmas when she and Kol had tried to retrieve their possessions, they’d been caught by Rebekah. Kol had been daggered and Klaus had nearly killed Beatrix for good. Elijah had intervened and saved her life, though now, she wondered whether it might have been better to have died that day. 

Beatrix was confined to the Mikaelson compound for another five years. She and Elijah began to bicker often. Anxiety, anger, apathy, overcame her like a storm that was just beginning. In 1917, her temper had gotten the better of her and she had nearly torn the house apart because she wanted her magic, she wanted the piano key, but Elijah did not see her fit to have it.

She was manic. He was worried. She was causing damage and needing to be restrained because she simply could not function without her magic.

In 1918 when her episode subsided, she had felt guilt. Pain and torment because Marcel had been away at war and she had missed him in her crazed state. Remorse because of the things she had said and done. It terrified her to think that she had let herself go just because she hadn’t had her magic.

Therefore, she did not take it back.

“I just had a terrible though,” Kai said, looking back down at her, and causing her to blink several times. “What if time here runs differently? What if one year here was ten years in our world? Or if ten years here is barely one year there?”

Beatrix had to pause and regain her wits before answering. “Hmmm… if it’s not parallel, then think it might be the former. Ten years is a lot of suffering but if only one year were to pass in the real world, then it’s more likely we’d eventually find a way out sooner. If one year here is ten years over there, then that benefits the Gemini Coven. Everyone who had to deal with us in the past will die and new leadership will rise. You’ll never have a chance to be leader. That would be more torture for us. Everyone else moving on while we wait here, with insufficient time to wallow before figuring it out.”

“You’ve been thinking about Elijah too much. You’re going really into depth.”

He wasn’t wrong. Lately, anytime she remembered her worse moments, she found herself thinking of Elijah. How he had cared for her when she was acting insane and threatening to kill him because he wouldn’t give her the stupid piano key. 

She missed him more than she could express.

In 1919, when she was feeling better, Elijah had asked her on a date to the Opera House to watch _Le Huguenots_ — their first proper outing in a long time. She had picked a ravishing black silk dress. 

_She had been fixing Elijah’s tie in his room at the complex, and had pulled him in for a kiss when footsteps made them move away from each other._

_“Le Huguenots,” said a man who Beatrix had never seen before. “Saw it in Venice. Marvelous production.”_

_“You—” Elijah began, wordless. He moved to stand in front of Beatrix, shielding her. The man had laughed. “It’s all right, son. I just want to talk. I won’t even ask for an introduction.”_

_Beatrix had stiffened. Mikael. She had no idea what Marcel and Rebekah had planned. If only she had her magic, if only she had taken it back…._

_Elijah had not moved away from Beatrix. “You mercilessly hunt us for centuries,” he said to his father, ready to deflect an attack. “You laid waste to half of Europe. Now you simply wish to talk?”_

_“Talk like civilized men, yes, and without you concealing a vampire weakling behind your back,” Mikael stated, craning his neck as if trying to get a look at Beatrix. “Elijah, it was your bastard brother I hunted. Not you, never you. You’re my blood, one that I’d be proud to call son. So I came here to give you a chance to help me put down that whelp for good.”_

_In an instant, Elijah had lunged forward, slamming Mikael into the wall. With terrifying ease, Mikael had thrown Elijah back the way he’d come, sending wooden splinters all around him. Mikael had grabbed Beatrix and gripped her neck, holding a White Oak Stake in his hand. She had frozen, staring at Elijah. She wanted him to go, she wanted him to leave, who cared if she died…_

_“Let her go,” Elijah said, his eyes darkening with fury. He got to his feet. “Do you really not know me at all? Do you think I could or would believe in anything that you say? If you honestly believe that I would betray my own brother for you, you’re a fool without equal.”_

_Mikael had scoffed. “I’ll forgive you your sentimental affections for this weakling and the thing you call brother, but you need to realize— as I did when I learned his mother had lain with a beast to beget him— that Niklaus is an abomination. You do not talk to abominations. You do not reason with them or try to change them. You erase them!” He held Beatrix tighter, making her gasp for air. “You think I do not know who this is? A hybrid wench of a different breed— a witch and a vampire! So yes, I am asking you to help me kill your brother. I’ll take either hybrid.” He licked his lips, gazing wickedly at Elijah. “What is it going to be? Stand with me, and save this girl, or fall with your brother, and lose her? Choose, son.”_

_“E-Elijah,” Beatrix had choked out. “K-Klaus— p-pick K-Klaus—”_

_Elijah had picked both. He’d lunged at his father. Mikael had easily thrown him back even further than before, a broken piece of wood impaling him. The vampire had then bit into Beatrix, making her let out a terrified scream as he fed from her. He’d continued until she had gone limp in his arms, and threw her over his shoulder, pocketing the White Oak Stake and picking up another wooden splinter, driving it straight through Elijah’s heart._

“What happened after that?” Kai had asked her when she told him.

That was the part she had only ever heard of. Klaus’s lover at the time, Lana, was killed and left on a swing. Beatrix and Marcel were staked to crosses on the stage. The Original siblings had ran, and Mikael had set fire to the building. Marcel had barely managed to save Beatrix and himself. When she awoke she was greatly weakened. Marcel, though strengthened, was now tasked with coping and recuperating the destruction Mikael had reaped on New Orleans, thinking them to be dead while his children had fled.

Knowing that she was going to suffer, Marcel did what he knew Beatrix would want him to do. He put her to sleep. From 1920 to 1950, Beatrix La Salle slept, safe and sound in the dungeons of the Mikaelson compound, the piano key wrapped in silk beside her, a spell cast for her to dessicate in peace, figure things out in a place where she couldn’t hurt herself, an wait until Marcel deemed it safe enough to wake her up. For three decades she was safe from Rayna Cruz, the Gemini Coven, the violence in New Orleans, and the wrath of Mikael. 

When in 1950 she was woken, she had not taken her magic back right away. She had come to terms with her agony, but she still felt such guilt. If she had had her magic before, she could have defeated Mikael. Now, the magic felt wrong. It felt wretched. She didn’t feel she deserved it yet. And thus, she had gone to study, functioning as a human. From 1960 to 1970 following her studies, Beatrix La Salle practiced as a regular obstetrician and gynecologist, delivering babies to parents. She had stopped once her coworkers became suspicious of her constant breaks where she secretly ingested blood, and once they began noticing that she wasn’t aging like the rest of them.

Feeling sane again, and thinking she could do well with her powers, Marcel had delivered the piano key to her doorstep. While he reconstructed New Orleans, she traveled around the Yucatán Peninsula, learning and gathering information about her past, and simultaneously researching how to put Mikael down and create the dagger Kol had wanted to make before he was subdued. She and Marcel wrote to each other often. Although she had helped to raise him, their bond was still mostly like that of siblings, though Beatrix never ceased seeing him as a son. She had planned to return to Medical School in the year 2000 to renew her degree and beginning to study again. 

In December of 1993, she had been planning a surprise visit to Marcel’s home. What she hadn’t known was that Mikael had slipped her true identity to the French Quarter Coven even following her death, and as soon as she entered the city, she was on their radar. 

Now she was here.

“It’s hard to stop thinking about Elijah. I can’t even imagine where he must be now. He might be daggered. Maybe he aggravated Klaus. I don’t even want to think of the fact he may have been found by Mikael already.”

“You need a distraction,” Kai said. “Like, a big project or something you want to do. You always get in a better mood when we study dark magic. How about using some of that?”

And so they had begun. For weeks they’d began cooking up a spell, with two major goals that came to mind right away: find where the eclipse would be strongest for the Ascendant to work and harness the most power possible, and have a sensor ready to let them know if anything freaky happened, such as another person arriving. The second was mostly Beatrix’s idea.

Sitting criss crossed on the floor of the house, they had linked hands, candles lit all around them, a map on the floor with a few drops of each person’s blood.

Together, they had chanted. _Et obscuratus primuse, sequitir sanguine. Et obscuratus primuse, sequitir sanguine. Et obscuratus primuse, sequitir sanguine._

Slowly, the blood on the map had trailed upward from Louisiana, and had wrapped itself around the state of Virginia. The circle it made narrowed around the name of Mystic Falls.

“Mystic Falls,” breathed Beatrix. “That’s where the best place to catch the eclipse’s power will be. Next spell… _Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio_ …”

Both had felt a sharp pain in their abdomen when the third chant finished. Beatrix tasted blood in her mouth. “Good. If anything inside here changes, we will know. A gut feeling.”

Kai had never looked so pleased. “Magic, baby.”

They had set off shortly after. Packing in a frenzy, things surely left behind. It didn’t matter. They were ready to get out, if the occasion ever came. The entire ride there they chatted, they joked, they snacked on what Beatrix had packed for them to enjoy. 

Both of them could not deny that they felt something good. Something genuine. It was bliss and a break from the pain that came when they both did the math and deduced that they’d hit the ten year mark already, give or take a year. It wasn’t so bad knowing that they had a shot— a real shot.

“You should turn me when we get out,” Kai said very seriously when they finished the thirteen hour ride to Virginia. They had settled temporarily into a nice little house near a grocery store, and a short walk from the Hospital. Beatrix was too happy to ask Kai for her portion of blood, and she was willing to make the walk to get it, to spare him. He’d helped enough already. 

But the statement had caught her off guard.

“What?” She said, raising her eyebrow. “You want me to make you a Heretic?”

“Yes. I want to be able to produce power on my own like you do. And being a vampire heightens everything. You can’t possibly tell me that you’d prefer to feel things as a human.”

“I mean… it depends. The sadness is quite overwhelming. So is the anger. But the happiness and the pleasure, the gratitude and the relief— it’s a thousand times better as a vampire.”

“I can deal with that,” he said. “I want this. I want that type of power when we go kill the Gemini Coven. I want to feel insurmountable satisfaction when I drive a blade through our dear old Coven leader’s heart.”

Nowadays, his comments no longer fazed her. In fact, she smirked. “Yeah, I have to admit, things like that definitely feel better. All the good things in life. Can’t get drunk. Can’t knock someone up or get knocked up. You feel everything to the very precise degree and measurement.”

There had been a moment where they had both just stared at each other. They both felt so pleased with what they’d done. They noticed things about each other that they’d never pinpointed before, and a movement drew them closer. They had been deprived of proper proximity for so long…

Beatrix was surprised she hadn’t gone for it sooner.


	6. Chapter 6

_May 2nd, 2012 - AKA - May 10th, 1994_

**Neither was sure at what time they felt it, but it was what got them to leap out of the bed.**

“You sensed that too, didn’t you?” Kai said urgently, a wicked grin on his face. “I got that feeling…” He stumbled back to get dressed. 

“Let’s check it out,” she said, slipping out from under the covers and darting into her closet. 

“If we have guests, you should just stay naked,” Kai called, making her groan as she closed the door behind her.

How had she even gotten to this point?

After that day that she and Kai arrived in Mystic Falls, things had changed. They’d actively spoken, and there was a different sort of tension between them. Then, one night, he’d gone for it, because Kai Parker always got what he wanted, and despite the lack of an attachment to her that would suggest he cared, he couldn’t hold back from his urges.

At first it had been awkward the morning after, they had acted far too casually. Then, it had been Kai who made the move to speak quite openly about it, and soon, the awkwardness faded. There was only lust, from both sides. Whenever they weren’t out getting groceries for the smaller house they chose to stay in, or practicing magic out in the forest, they were at it. 

It was ridiculous how much stress it relieved. Beatrix had made an offhanded comment at one point that they should have just done it in the first place. Kai had laughed sadistically and stated that he had felt no lust before, just the desire to murder her. They left the conversation at that. In fact, they never really discussed their arrangement at all. They just slept together some days. Some mornings, like today, he was still in bed beside her, either asleep or watching her sleep and likely fantasizing about how he could kill her without waking her up. Other times, he’d leave as soon as he finished, and she wouldn't see him for hours at a time. It was always about what he wanted, and Beatrix chose not to argue. Sometimes, however, it just made her miss Elijah. He had always cared about what she wanted, about pleasing her because that, in turn, would please him. Kai just took, he was selfish, and he objectified her. However, the mutual benefit was what kept Beatrix there. It helped them cope. 

“Hurry up in there,” Kai demanded. “We need to link and do the spell to find out where we need to go.”

Beatrix sped to get dressed, slamming against the door as she tried to do it faster, but she was still barely awake. She came out in the simplest of outfits and went to him. He yanked her arm, siphoning already as they walked outside. They reached the front lawn of the house and linked hands, facing each other.

_"Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Mittere nobis, trahentium sanguine. Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Mittere nobis, trahentium sanguine."_

There was another sharp pain, and the two kept their hands linked, chanting again. 

_"Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Mittere nobis, trahentium sanguine. Sangina signum, signum sequitas mutatio. Mittere nobis, trahentium sanguine."_

A bright light shone from both of their abdomens, reddish pink, and glowing for a second, before the light switched off, making the pain a bit harder to ignore.

“I feel it,” Kai said when they finished. “It’s like my gut is yelling at me to walk… in that direction.” He nodded to what was behind them. “That way. Something is that way.”

Into the forest. Beatrix nodded, and she let her body carry her, the blood inside her pumping into all the right places to ensure she walked in the direction that would get them their answers.

“What if it’s people?” Beatrix said. “Like, actually? We should introduce ourselves.”

“No,” Kai said sharply. “We have to wait it out. No way are we going to introduce ourselves right away. What if they were sent in here to torment both of us? We don’t know what year it is out there. We’ll watch from the distance, and we’ll figure out how to approach.”

Beatrix huffed. “You always have to be in charge, hmm?”

“This was kinda meant for me in the first place, you just got sucked into it based on some very bad luck. So yes, I’m running point. You be a good girl and listen, you’re the one with the magic at will.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Then we should at least be less obvious.” She wove her hand in a snakelike motion through the air. “ _Sonitus conquievit, invisibilia._ ” The sound of the leaves crunching under their feet stopped. 

“Smart,” Kai noted. “Keeping us silent and invisible.”

“Shut up.”

They walked as far as their bodies wanted them to. Beatrix could hear and see someone up ahead— actually, two someones. Kai had spotted them two. Their legs ceased moving about fifteen feet away from a man and a woman. Their hands were linked and they had their eyes closed, as if fast asleep whilst standing up. 

Beatrix was about to move forward when both their eyes snapped open. They blinked and both began to look around, clearly shocked at what they were seeing. 

“Huh,” said the man, making a face like he was very uncomfortable. He and the woman looked at each other, then down at where their hands were still clasped together. They let go, and the man pursed his lips. "That got awkward fast." He let out an awkard cough, and both started looking around again. They clearly recognized where they were, but didn't understand why they were there.

“What happened?” asked the woman. “Where is everybody? Where are we?” She took a few tentative steps out of the woods, toward where the buildings of Mystic Falls were visible. The man followed behind. Kai and Beatrix matched pace with the woman, until she stopped in the middle of the street. Beatrix noticed the man out a finger in his mouth, rubbing over his gums.

“Well, I feel a fang,” he noted. “I’m still a vampire. Either I’m a dead vampire or Mystic Falls is no longer magic free.”

“A vampire,” Beatrix mused. “Interesting…”

“Look,” the woman said, because of course, they hadn’t heard Beatrix. She was pointing at one of the restaurants— the Mystic Grill. She and Kai had gone in to look at it, but hadn’t made any drastic changes. It was aesthetically pleasing, and neither felt like trashing it. 

The man looked confused when he saw the restaurant. “I definitely blew that up about an hour ago.”

“Why don’t we see people?” the woman asked. “If we’re still on the Other Side, we should at least be able to see the living.”

“The Other Side,” Kai mused. “So… they were dead. The Coven didn’t send them here… in person, at least.”

“Where the hell are we?” asked the man as he looked around, going down the street. “And I don’t mean geographically.”

The woman pursed her lips and shrugged. “I have no idea.”

They began to walk, seemingly looking for something. Without commenting, Beatrix and Kai followed. The pair did not speak. In fact, it seemed to Beatrix that they didn’t get along at all. At one point, the man removed the leather jacket he had on and tossed it over his shoulder, the zipper nearly hitting the woman in the eye. She frowned but did not speak, and instead peeled off her gray jacket and knotted it around her waist.

“Are they seriously just going to walk?” Kai asked impatiently, rubbing over the stubble on his chin. His hair was still untidy, but Beatrix had coaxed him into shaving. 

“They’re confused,” Beatrix said, wanting to sympathize. “We were too. We explored, but we kind of already knew what was happening. They have no idea. I doubt they were sent in here to torture us or anything.”

“Either way, I expect you to keep the spell up, Trixter,” Kai said a bit more harshly, knowing she was considering revealing herself. “We’re not going to reveal ourselves until I say so.”

Beatrix rolled her eyes. They followed the pair of newbies down yet another street. This roused a question from the man, who seemed aggravated, as he had just let out a loud groan.

“How many more streets are we going to wander?”

The woman gave him an annoyed look. “How many times are you going to ask me questions I don't have the answers to? Huh?”

The man looked away from her but visibly rolled his eyes, and they walked another several steps silently, before the woman brought out an observation. “There’s something weird about these cars.” She stopped in front of a white car parked against the curb.

The man ran his hand over the hood of the car. “Yeah… they're all 20 years old or more and yet they look brand new.” He then looked up at the house that the car was parked in front of, and his pupils dilated like it was stirring memories. “And that is Elena’s not-so-burnt-to-a-crisp house.”

He walked toward it and bent down, picking up a newspaper that was on the grass. He unfolded it and looked down, furrowing his dark brows before urging the woman to read it as well. “Look.”

She craned her neck over. “Rare solar eclipse expected to be seen across 12 states?”

The man rolled his eyes. “The date.”

A look of panic washed over the woman. “May 10th, 1994. Is that—? Are we—? But that’s impossible.”

The sky darkened, as it usually did around that time. Beatrix and Kai ignored it, they’d seen it plenty of times. But the woman and man gazed up. “I don't think we should be asking where we are,” the man muttered. “I think we should be asking _when_ we are.”

Kai chuckled at this, smirking to himself. “He’s funny, I like him.”

He and Beatrix remained on the sidewalk as the couple went inside the house, which they apparently recognized. “He’s hot, too,” Beatrix mused. “I’ve seen that face somewhere before, I’m sure of it. Don’t know where, but I have. I could never forget an absolute babe like that.”

“What is it with you and the bad boys?” Kai teased as the man came out to sit on the porch swing, and the woman sat down on the steps. 

“They’ve got all the good looks,” Beatrix said nonchalantly. “Probably explains a lot of my past pain— I know how to pick them.”

Kai smirked. “Three Original brothers… me… him… countless others you refuse to name…”

“What makes you think I would name the other men and women I’ve had in my life?”

“I just assumed since we’re partners in the whole pleasure thing—”

“Shut up. You’re just nosy.”

They turned back to the man, who started swinging. “Where is any booze in this empty retroville?”

The woman ignored his comment. “It feels so weird to be back here, I practically grew up on this porch.”

He ceased moving the swing, and faced her. “Alright, talk me through it.”

At the very least, he seemed interested in what she had to say, but the chemistry between them was insanely awkward. As if they’d never had to be alone together outside of what Beatrix could assume was a friend group consisting of one other person so far— someone named Elena, whose house they were currently at. 

The woman faced him. “Before the Other Side collapsed, my Grams said that she made a sacrifice so that I could find peace.”

“The part where you actually have a _theory_ ,” the male prompted. She rolled her eyes. “Well, this clearly isn't _peace_ , otherwise I wouldn't be _stuck_ here with _you_.”

The man pretended to look thoroughly offended. “Rude.”

“She must have— I don’t know, sent me somewhere. And when I held your hand… it took you with me.”

“Well, did she happen to whisper a safe word in her last breaths. A clue, maybe? Witchy path out of here?”

“No, but if we got here by magic, magic should be able to get us out.”

The man seemed intrigued, and raised his eyebrows, but he, Kai, and Beatrix all noticed that the woman didn’t seem too confident. “And that frown that's not upside down is telling me what?” the man urged.

The woman turned toward a glass cup beside them. “Phesmatos incendia,” she said, staring intently at the glass. Nothing happened.

“Still can’t do magic,” the man deduced, looking disappointed. He leaned back into the porch swing and began to move it again. “Perfect.”

The tension between the two didn’t subside even when they got up and started to walk back down the street, toward a part of town that Kai and Beatrix had explored many times. They arrived at what was labeled the ‘Salvatore Boarding House’ and went in.

“Salvatore,” Beatrix muttered. “Sounds familiar. I swear, I know this bloke.”

“Maybe he was one of your elusive one night stands,” Kai egged on.

“I’m withholding from you for a year after that comment.”

This seemed to piss him off, because he was so used to just getting what he wanted. Part of it was her fault. She let him. But he seemed too interested in the fact that the man and woman were making themselves comfortable in the house, as if they knew it well in the real world.

Beatrix and Kai remained quietly in the corner, just listening to them. There were points where they’d mutter things that either didn’t make sense or were just to start some kind of argument. By the end of the night, they learned that the man’s name was Damon and the woman’s was Bonnie. Beatrix assumed that Damon was a Salvatore, but as for Bonnie… her surname wasn’t about to be revealed yet, apparently. 

“We’ll stay here from now on,” Kai decided when Damon and Bonnie had finally gone to bed. He trotted up the stairs and went to find a room far from where he likely assumed that the other two wouldn’t go into. “Make the bed everyday, take turns listening in and going to get food. Come on.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” She raised a skeptical brow, however, when he beckoned her into the room. “Um, I’ll find another room.”

Kai’s eyes flashed darkly. “No, you won’t. You’re staying here. First of all, better we stick together so your spell doesn’t break. And that way we only have to make one room and one bathroom look immaculate. Thirdly… you’re not holding out on me.”

Sometimes, she wondered why she just said yes to whatever he asked of her. She supposed that at this point she was just not wanting to start a problem. Or maybe it was because Kai reminded her, in different instances, of the Mikaelsons. He was very abrasive like Klaus, and liked to be the alpha male. He could taunt and joke like Kol. When serious, he had a similar tenacity to Elijah. His presence had become calming for her despite the fact he was still dangerous, like Rebekah. And sometimes, when he was being downright childish, it reminded her of Marcel. 

So yes, she was an idiot, but an idiot in need of affection, and even though Kai could never be genuine, it helped her miss the others a little less.

Thus, she always gave in to whatever he demanded, as creative as it was. She seemed to fascinate him more so because of her vampiric nature, and her ability to heal. Either way, she had no problem trying to enjoy it. That wasn't difficult at all. 

In the morning, Beatrix had used a spell to freshen them up, despite them having to wear the same clothes again. She had stood by the door, listening. “I only hear Damon. Bonnie’s heartbeat is stronger and it’s not here. Either he killed her or she left.”

“Let’s go with 'she left'. She’s a witch. A Bennett witch.”

She whirled around to face Kai. “What? How do you know that?”

Kai shrugged. “Pieced things together. Obviously, something will confirm it soon, but that’s the main theory. She’s our ticket out.”

“Well, then shouldn’t we introduce ourselves and be cooperative? She might be more inclined to share her blood with us if we come and be appeasing.”

He scoffed. “What do you want us to do, Trixter? Show up with a turkey at their doorstep as if we didn’t eavesdrop on them for an entire day? Pretend to be a happy, supernatural couple who just got trapped here? They’ll figure things out— they are definitely not stupid. Well, Damon seems stupid, but Bonnie likely isn’t. They’ll figure out what we are, what we’ve done, and they won’t want to cooperate. Just let me choose how things go.”

Beatrix glared at him. “Fine. But now you have to make the bed. I’m going to go get us some food and clothes of our own.”

She sped away before he could protest. 

When she returned, Damon was making breakfast. She had gone up to the room she and Kai had shared and set their things down, seeing Kai was not there. Maybe he had gone to find Bonnie. Beatrix went back downstairs and leaned against the doorframe, watching Damon dance, drink bourbon, and cook all at the same time. He seemed to be making pancakes. 

He reminded her of Elijah. A subtle goof who loved living his life when he thought no one was watching. Her heart ached, wondering where he was. 

The door opened and Beatrix saw Bonnie come in with a teddy bear and a book. Behind her, Kai sped in. “She’s a Bennett witch,” he announced as Bonnie went in to join Damon in the kitchen. “Her grandmother is Sheila Bennett. I met her once— she knew my family. She helped them make this world, and now Bonnie is the key to getting out.”

“Only problem is that Bonnie doesn’t have magic,” Beatrix mumbled as the brunette showed Damon the teddy bear and the book, which was actually a grimoire.

“So we make her tap into it,” Kai decided, standing beside Beatrix. “Trigger it somehow. Plan accordingly and see if she’s going to be useful or not. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll take her blood and just see if we can do the spell ourselves. If that doesn’t work… then we’ll have to find a way to get her some magic so she can join in. I could care less if these two make it out. But you and me— we’re leaving, and we’re going to kill that stupid fuckass Coven.”

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. “Wow, I hadn’t heard you use ‘fuckass,’ yet. I think you picked that up from me.”

The two then went silent, gazing toward where Bonnie and Damon were near the CD player. “Everything that existed in 1994, still exists,” Bonnie noticed.

Damon made a face. “For better, or for worse?” Before she could reply, he leaned down and kissed a CD he was holding and plopped it in the radio. Bonnie stood and turned it off just as the music began to play. She seemed to be ready to have a serious conversation.

“Listen,” she started, “there was a time when I couldn’t practice magic. The grimoire taught me alot. Maybe… I can reteach myself.”

Damon didn’t seem so optimistic. He simply turned the radio back on. “If you were still a witch. Which, with our luck, and your skill— probably ain’t the case.”

Kai and Beatrix both snorted, but Bonnie looked indignant. “Would a little support kill you?” she asked with a cheeky grin. 

“You know, I am acutely aware that we are in some otherworldly time dimension,” responded Damon. “However, do you ever think for on second that maybe it’s you being negative reacting to my natural self negative-ly?”

“He’s a pessimist, I like it,” Kai said. “Maybe if he cooperates, I won’t kill him when we step foot back in the real world.”

Bonnie looked appalled, and it took a few seconds for her to gather her wits and speak. “You’re ridiculous.”

Damon pointed the spatula at her. “Nope, I’m consistent.” He then served two pancakes on her plate. “Eat your pancakes. Oh, and—” he snatched up the newspaper from the counter and dropped it in front of her, “—you can do a crossword puzzle.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “Oh, gee, thanks. Breakfast with my least favorite person, and a crossword puzzle, from 1994.” She opened the newspaper, and readied it to complete the task at hand. She looked over it, her lip twitching a bit as she figured out where to start. “Alright, what’s a seven letter word for—”

At that rate, Kai and Beatrix were immune to reactions when the eclipse occurred, but this was the first time Damon and Bonnie had noticed it happening two days in a row. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Damon hissed. “Bonnie, look at the date on that paper.”

She flipped a page slightly. “It says, May 10th, 1994. Same day as yesterday.” The two exchanged a look. “We’re living the same day all over again,” Bonnie muttered.

“Well, that proves it, we’re in hell,” said Damon. “My own personal, custom-built hell. And you’re in it with me.” He raised the bottle of bourbon. “Bottoms up.” He took a swig.

“Gold star for her,” Kai said with a smug grin once he and Beatrix went back up to their room. “They figured it out. Wonder how long it’ll take them to try and kill each other.”

Beatrix gave him a concerned look. “Let’s not hope for that. Who knows if they’ll come back the same way we did. We have to keep them both alive. It’s only fair.”

“No, it’s not fair. Nothing here is fair, Trixter, did you forget that? We can dispose of Damon, who cares? It’s Bonnie we need. If her blood works then we can kill her, what do I care?”

“They have families out there, and likely goals they want to fulfill, Kai,” Beatrix snapped. “Just because I share your disregard for human life in other instances doesn’t mean I’m okay with condemning someone else to suffer the way we did. We don’t even know how long it’s been— we both lost track. Can we at least be civil and not torment them? Let’s just try and get them to cooperate. If it’s mutually beneficial, it should be fine. We just have to think ahead.”

Kai stopped her before she could enter the bedroom, and gripped her by the throat, purposely siphoning and making her wince. “I don’t want to hear another peep out of you unless I ask for it,” he sneered. “This is my hell. You got unlucky. I want out, you want out, but we are going to do it my way and that’s final. So sit down, shut up, and let’s start planning how we’re going to get those two to help, or how we’re going to kill them if they don’t.”


	7. Chapter 7

**After two months, they were ready to put their plan in motion.**

Paranoia and wonder. That had been Kai’s grand scheme. To release the spell that made them invisible and silent, and begin to do subtle things that would alert Bonnie and Damon to a third presence— not necessarily a fourth. 

Between listening to Kai yap about how exactly he wanted things to be done, Beatrix would tune out any noise he was making and listen to Bonnie and Damon argue. Someone might have taken them for mortal enemies, with the way they sometimes went at it.

It reminded her of being in the Mikaelson compound. The constant bickering. Being put in the middle. Having to choose sides. Sometimes it had been over the silliest of things. Other times, it was more serious.

_“Klaus is furious,” Beatrix noticed one evening in 1914. She lay in an armchair, writing out a few simple spells that had come to mind, which she could make more precise later._

_“When is he not?” Elijah had replied. He was standing at the window, staring out at the ceiling. “Niklaus is paranoid. He knows Kol is up to something.”_

_Beatrix shrugged. “Kol has every right to befriend the witches. It needn’t make Klaus so tense.”_

_“He knows you’re in on it.”_

_She had looked up, boredly for the most part. “And what if I am? Kol is my best friend. I stand with him.”_

_“I suppose Niklaus expects you to support him instead. He is your sire and a previous lover.”_

_“That was too brief for him to think I bear excessive loyalty to him,” she said a bit more sternly. “Why, Elijah? Where do you stand?”_

_He did not look at her. “I am unaware of what you and Kol are plotting. Perhaps Niklaus is right to harbor suspicion.”_

_“We’re not going to overthrow him and destroy New Orleans,” Beatrix said, rolling her eyes. She stood and went to the window beside him, placing her hand on his. “You’re not… siding with him, are you?”_

_“I do not take sides, Itza,” he whispered, turning and lifting her hand, kissing the back of it tenderly. “But you have taken back your magic. Niklaus was previously angry that you’d set it aside, and now, you won’t explain why you did it. All we know is that it benefits Kol.”_

_He placed his hands on her waist, leaning down and pressing his lips on hers. “All I ask is that you be careful. Niklaus will not hesitate to tear your heart out. Kol may be willing to urge you into risking your life, but I will not tolerate it if it puts you in imminent danger.”_

_“Look at you, being all concerned. I’ll be fine, ‘Lijah. You don’t have to worry.”_

He hadn’t had to worry, not until Christmas when Klaus had been holding her beating heart in his hand, livid when he discovered what she and Kol had been trying to do. The hesitation that had befallen him when he saw her choke beneath him and begin to cry was what gave Elijah time to save her. 

“Today’s the day,” Kai said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He looked more cheerful than ever, with a maniacal glint in his eyes. “Today we start making noise. Remember what we planned? Cast a spell so that only Bonnie hears us casually dropping something. Have her start to get paranoid. When they’re distracted, I’ll finish the crossword puzzle. Two fucking months of hearing her whine about not knowing what twenty-seven across is. Yellow Ledbetter— how dumb can she be?”

“Give her a break, damn it,” hissed Beatrix. “We don’t know what year it is out there. She might not have even been in utero on this day.”

“And you were three hundred and ten on this day, whatever,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Feeling old yet? No, wait— your would-have-been baby daddy is way older.”

Beatrix groaned. “Please stop calling Elijah that.”

“You prefer I call him a b—“

She zapped him with electricity right in the forehead, and he quieted down, despite looking murderous. 

Right before the eclipse, Beatrix did just as Kai said. Muttering the words under her breath, she made an invisible tunnel of sound connected to Bonnie and Kai, as he’d be the one ceremoniously dropping something. They were standing in the doorway, still invisible at the moment.

“What’s a seven letter word for kill me now?” Bonnie said from the table, looking down at the newspaper in her hands.

Damon held back from looking overly annoyed. “That joke got old six weeks ago.”

Bonnie let out an exasperated sigh. “And so did this crossword puzzle. Everyday for two months I've done this stupid thing and I still can't figure out twenty seven across. Old tongue twister, Eddie turned top forty?”

Damon ignored her, and deposited a plate in front of her with two pancakes and a circle of whipped cream. Bonnie raised the pencil in her hand and stabbed angrily into the pancakes. Beatrix had been wanting to eat one of them since they arrived but it was too risky. Kai would be furious. 

“I hate pancakes!” Bonnie hissed. Damon held his hands up in mock surrender. “Whoa, don't take it out on the pancakes. Those pancakes, like myself, are waiting for you to be witchy to get us the hell out of here.”

This angered Bonnie. She stood, glaring at him. “You know I’ve been trying!”

There they went, fighting again. 

“And failing,” Damon retorted in a snarky tone. “Further evidence, we're in hell. Not only am I stuck with you, I'm stuck with the useless version of you.”

That was the moment Kai chose. He let out a soft snicker and extracted a small glass orb he’d wrapped in tinfoil and threw it down the hall. Bonnie flinched, her jaw going slack as she turned back in the direction of the sound. “Did you hear that?” 

Damon let out a frustrated sigh. “What would I have heard, Bonnie? We're the only two people here, we were the only two people here two months ago and the only two people here now!”

“Well I swear I heard something!”

“Maybe it's the sound of existential despair. I hear that's what hell sounds like,” Damon said. 

Bonnie gritted her teeth. “You know what? You think we're trapped in _your_ hell? I have to spend everyday on repeat with the person I like least on this earth—! Maybe we're trapped in _mine_.” She snatched up her teddy bear from the table and moved to leave. Kai gripped Beatrix’s hand rapidly, siphoning just enough to summon the orb back in his hand and pocket it as Bonnie stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Kai let out a chuckle. “Good girl, Beatrix, I’m pleased.” He smacked her ass and made her growl before walking over to the table. Damon had just turned up the music and was eating his own pancakes, facing the window, and sipping bourbon between bites.

Clearly, he missed someone. Very much. In the two months they’d been there, Beatrix hadn’t heard them actually discuss their lives. She didn’t know what year they came from. The only time they had brought up any of their friends was at ‘Elena’s’ house. It was like they refused to talk about anything sentimental. Beatrix wondered if Elena was the girl Damon had left behind.

She wondered if Elijah had looked this forlorn when he thought she’d been killed. 

Another smack on the ass had alerted her that Kai had filled in the crossword puzzle. “This is so exciting,” he said, giddy like an innocent child. “I haven’t felt this good since I beat my brother to death.”

And there he went being morbid again. At first, Beatrix had tried to relate, but now, it was too repetitive. Besides, she had only ever explored the darkest parts of herself when doing magic, and that was fairly private since it was in her head. 

When night fell, she and Kai came back downstairs, lurking in a corner to await Bonnie’s reaction to the completed crossword. He seemed intent on watching the anxiety rise into her features.

“Careful, CobraKai,” teased Beatrix. “Someone might think you have a thing for Bonnie.”

“She’s hot, but she’s useless,” Kai sighed. “The plan needs to be intricate because of her. If she just had her magic, this would be easier.”

They watched as Bonnie stirred some beans on the stove. Beatrix was starving, both for blood and food. She and Kai had been eating mostly fruits and snacks to not have to go and use a stove elsewhere. Kai had let her drink directly from him a few times, but she wanted more. She at least would have liked to know if Bonnie’s blood tasted better. 

When Bonnie finished cooking, she served two bowls and set one down in front of Damon, before sitting across from him. She handed him a spoon as he unfolded his napkin, looking over his face as he cast her a small, appreciative smile. She looked worried about him. That was certainly a change. 

“I miss them too, you know,” she said gently.

Damon looked up, a bit surprised that she’d spoken, considering their argument earlier. He nodded, then began to eat. He paused for a second to look at the newspaper, then grinned. “Look who got twenty seven across.” 

Bonnie just smirked and shook her head. “I wish. twenty seven across is a rock I am pushing up an endless mountain.”

Damon simply read off the newspaper. “It's an old tongue twister Eddie turned top forty, Eddie Vedder, pearl jam. Yellow Ledbetter.” He set it back down, making Bonnie furrow her eyebrows. 

“Here it comes,” Kai said, smirking malevolently as Bonnie grasped the newspaper and looked down at it. 

Her eyes widened. “Are you messing with me?” She said to Damon, her voice wavering slightly. 

Damon seemed to think she was joking. “No. You messing with me?” 

She pointed down at the crossword puzzle. “I didn’t finish this.” 

Damon just shrugged. “Well, neither did I.”

For a moment, Bonnie’s expression was blank. She dropped her voice to a lower volume. “There’s someone else here.”

“And Bingo was his name-o,” Kai recited, looking smug as he went to the stairs, trotting up them in intervals of three. 

**-**

Another two months passed with Kai scheming up a nice little plot to be played with the now uncertain Bonnie and the apathetic as ever Damon. They hadn’t made any other moves, at Kai’s insistence that they needn’t rush it. He was confident they’d get out, and he was willing to play the long game. Beatrix hated him for it, but simply went along with it. She didn’t want him to be angry and leave her behind. 

“Tomorrow they’re going to the grocery store,” Kai announced one evening as they got to their room following a trip to their old residence for food. “I listened in. We’ll follow behind. Now, what I want you to do is follow them, not that far behind. You’ll make the pork rinds disappear from the rack and appear here, in the room, except for one bag. Then, you’ll make sure all the bourbon bottles have turned to pure vervain. Meanwhile, I’ll be retrieving his car and making sure to siphon the cloaking spell from it so he’ll see it. You can turn the carousel on as many times as you want, but just make sure they come outside and stay outside so I can get in the store.”

“Yes, Kai,” Beatrix said boredly. 

It had been Kai’s idea to find the car when he heard Damon talking about it one afternoon. When he’d been asleep, Beatrix had creeped into the Salvatore male’s room and seeped into his mind to find the image, then transferring it to Kai. With some very complex magic, they had turned the car they’d been using into the spitting image of Damon’s car. That had all been Beatrix’s doing, but Kai liked to take credit. She had cloaked it so that there would be no chance that Damon would see it prior to what Kai had planned. 

She wished that she could have done the planning. There was no reason for this to be so intricate. She would have liked to introduce herself formally. To befriend Damon and Bonnie. To teach her properly how to reignite her magic. To enjoy Damon’s pancakes and see if he’d talk to her about the memories clearly plaguing him. She had seen more than just his car in his mind— she’d seen that he, as cruel as he seemed, had a soft spot for one person only. It touched her that he held onto the memory of her so firmly. Elena was a lucky girl. 

Beatrix thought they probably could have been out of there already if she was in charge, but no, Kai wanted to plan every move like it was a game of chess. Everything would probably go wrong anyway. 

“Tell me I’m a genius,” Kai demanded as he lay onto the bed. Beatrix gave him a cheeky grin and remained silent, crawling under the covers. 

“Trixter, I don’t hear anything,” he chimed after he didn’t hear her voice for five minutes.

“A three year old could have come up with the same plan.”

Kai opened his mouth to insult her, but closed it up again. “You know what,” he said after a brief silence, “I’m going to choose not to slaughter you.”

“Yi-fucking-pee for me, I guess.” 

“You’re no fun, Beatrix. Live a little. We’re about to introduce ourselves to our companions and we get to kill them if they don’t cooperate!”

Lately, the whole ‘killing’ part wasn’t really doing much for her. “Yeah, sure,” she said, turning away from him like she always did. She didn’t want him staring at her while she tried to fall asleep. 

“You should be more excited to get out. You’re going to see your hunk of an Original again.”

“What is with your Elijah obsession?” She snapped. “You ask me about him all the time. I already showed you a memory of him, I already told you countless stories. One might think you’re attracted to him.”

In one swift move, he had grasped her neck and snapped it.

He was asleep when she woke up, and she purposely kicked him off the bed.

Anger. Annoyance. Lust. It was practically all the same thing to Kai. For some reason he tolerated her. He always was annoyed or angry with comments she’d make. But when he didn’t kill her, he used it to fuel his drive and they’d just end up taking it out on each other. Stress relieving, mind numbing, making them forget whatever was bothering them. 

That night, Beatrix missed Elijah’s touch a bit more. She craved the feeling of his coarse palm over her arm as he kissed her shoulder and pulled her closer. The scrape of his stubble over her neck. The strong grip he used to pull her out of an altercation with either his brother or another enemy. The intoxicating scent that came when he kissed her forehead and she got a full whiff of his cologne. She missed how he’d take his time running his fingers over every inch of her body, making her quiver and whimper beneath him. 

She supposed she must have been talking in her sleep, because in the morning, Kai was staring intently her way, as if he had blackmail to use against her. 

“What’s got you all smiley?” She said suspiciously as she put on the nicest non-dress outfit she had. 

“Oh, nothing. Just meeting the others today.”

She gazed boredly at the plain t-shirt and jeans he’s thrown on. His sneakers were dirty. “You’re going to make a glorious first impression.”

“Your outfit is practically asking for a compliment. I don’t fish for things like that.”

“Why would anyone ever compliment you?” She muttered as she curled her hair with one delicate wave of her finger.

He ignored her comment. “So, what exactly were you and Elijah doing in your dream?” He asked, making her cheeks redden. “I really doubt you were gardening or eating…”

“None of your business. Focus on your little scheme like a proper boy.”

“Why, you don’t want to get into details because you—”

She sped forward and flipped him onto the floor, yanking his hands behind her back and kneeling on his thighs. “I’d hate to do this part of the plan without you,” she snapped. “Considering how you won’t shut up about it. Don’t test me, Malachai.”

“Call me that again and you’ll be the one in pain,” he sneered back, trying to push her off. 

She stepped away on her own, kicking him hard in the side before returning to fix her hair. 

When they heard Damon and Bonnie head out, they parted ways. Kai went to retrieve the car, and Beatrix followed not too far behind the pair. Today, they hadn’t bickered much. They’d been fairly quiet after last night’s revelation. Damon didn’t seem to believe that someone else could possibly be there with them. He was wrong, of course.

Beatrix found them when they already had a shopping cart, and were steadily filling it with supplies. She moved a few aisles down and reached the pork rinds— stupid things they were, Kai’s favorite snack. He used to munch on them directly in Beatrix’s ear about… four years ago, perhaps. Eventually, he’d grown bored that she stopped reacting. He had no idea she’d cast a spell to tune him out. 

She refrained from listening into Damon and Bonnie’s conversation for a bit, making the whole row of pork rinds disappear, minus one bag. That one, she cast a different spell on so that it would be waiting in the car for Kai when he got to it. She then went back toward Damon and Bonnie, walking close to them, and watching them silently fighting over who got to push the cart. Typical. 

“We need strawberries,” Bonnie said once she allowed Damon to push the cart. Damon nodded his head. “Eggs, milk, and ooh— candles.” She picked one off a shelf and placed it in the cart.

“I know it’s been awhile,” Damon began, “but you couldn’t do magic as an anchor, so I'm curious what momentary lapse reason makes you think you can do it now?”

“You know, when all this started, you _sucked_ at making pancakes but now they're somewhat edible,” retorted Bonnie. “Milk.” Damon stopped and opened one of the fridges and extracted a carton of milk on command. 

“There’s no reason to be Peter Pessimist,” continued Bonnie, stopping in front of a rack of glasses and tried some on. “We have proof we’re not alone.”

Damon grimaced. “First of all. Don't nickname, that's my thing.” He walked over to her and put on a pair of glasses himself. “And this proof— this mysteriously filled in crossword, could very easily have been you.”

Bonnie shot him an exasperated look and leaned onto the cart. “I didn’t. Fill. It. In.”

Damn, she sounded mad. Damon just rolled his eyes. “No. you don’t know you filled it in. You also don't know that you talk in your sleep. Eggs.”

Bonnie grabbed the eggs, then turned back to him, a stern look on her face. “What are you saying? Are you saying I sleep crossword?”

He yanked off the glasses he’d put on. “I'm saying it makes more sense than the alternative.”

This roused a suspicious glare from Bonnie, who removed her own glasses and put both pairs back on the rack. “I get what you’re doing,” she announced. 

“What am I doing?” Damon asked. 

“You refuse to have hope that you'll see Elena again so you don't have to be disappointed.”

They were now in the aisle where Beatrix had removed the pork rinds. Now was the time for the next part. She reached into her pocket and felt for the three quarters she had prepared. She looked out the window and saw Kai standing at the door, holding the bag of pork rinds. 

“I refuse to have hope because there's nothing to hope for,” Damon was saying as Beatrix began to make her way to Kai.

“Pork rinds,” she heard Bonnie say suddenly. There it was. She sped the rest of the way to Kai, but didn’t stop in front of him. She knelt in front of the carousel and pushed a quarter in, waiting a few seconds before pressing the button. Kai smirked down at her, opening the bag of pork rinds. “Good girl,” he said as the melody rang out, and the carousel began to move. “Keep them outside for a bit. Whenever one of them comes back, follow them.”

She saluted him half-heartedly as he strode into the store, still invisible, as Bonnie and Damon ran outside. 

Bonnie looked quite satisfied to see the carousel. “Hmm, you hear that, Damon? That’s what hope sounds like.”

“Yeah, right.” Damon knelt down in front of the switch box, popping it open, and making the music stop. “It’s gotta be a short, faulty wiring, something.”

“Or someone put a quarter in it and turned it on,” suggested Bonnie.

“You know, I’m a little confused with all this misplaced hope,” grunted Damon. “All right, Let's just say there's someone here. How do you know we're gonna get out?”

“Well, you say that this is your hell right? If there's someone else here, that means it's not your hell, and if it's not your hell that means Grams put us here, and if Grams put us here there's a way out.”

Beatrix wished she had been stuck in here with Bonnie instead of Kai. She at least tried to be optimistic. Damon and Kai were similar in their pessimism. 

Damon raised his eyebrows. “That's a hell of a logic knot you've tied for yourself.”

Bonnie seemed pleased. “Thank you. So now that we have properly placed our hope, let's play a game. When we get out, what's the first thing you're gonna tell Elena?”

Damon leaned closer to her, pretending to think before smirking wickedly. “‘Sorry I killed Bonnie. But she was the most annoying person in the world.” He started to walk into the parking lot, looking more exasperated. “She wouldn't shut up. She just kept talking. I mean, it's a wonder I made it as long as I did, but here's the thing, I think it's better this way because she didn't have magic, and she was pretty much useless.”

Beatrix and Bonnie followed closely behind him. He walked right past his car and didn’t notice it, but thankfully, Bonnie did. “Damon,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

“What?” he said, turning around. 

Bonnie pointed at the car. “I don’t know, you still think I’m useless.”

A look of understanding and pure joy dawned on Damon’s face. He looked down at the license plate number. Of course, Beatrix had made sure to get that absolutely correct. “That’s my car,” he breathed. “That’s my car!”

He moved forward and went into the driver’s seat, turning it on and putting his hands on the steering wheel. Beatrix found herself smiling when he started pretending to drive the car, listening to the low hum of the engine in the background. 

After about five minutes, however, Bonnie looked a bit impatient. “How much longer are we gonna listen—”

Damon silenced her immediately. “Shh…. This sound is the opposite sound of your voice, and I so enjoy it.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “How did it even get here, Damon? Did you leave it here in 1994?”

“I don't know, Bonnie. It was eighteen years ago. Had a lot going on that day.”

Beatrix nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Kai. “Eighteen years, huh?” he mused. “So, it’s 2012 out there.”


	8. Chapter 8

**As usual, Beatrix was not happy to see Kai.**

“I thought you were going to stay in the store,” murmured Beatrix.

“Yeah, I was, but then I had another idea. Wasn’t a bad thing I came out, either. Now we know what year it is out there. Took them long enough to discuss that.” He leaned onto Beatrix. “Do me a favor, Trixter. Make me visible for a few seconds. I’ll speed past behind that truck over there, have them both clearly see me. Then you can go put another quarter into the merry-go-round. We’ll get their attention back to the store. Then, you’ll drop the spell on me again, for good. You’ll be on standby if I’m in imminent danger— we don’t want them to know yet that neither you or I can die. Now, I have a little addition… I want you to knock me out. Help them a little bit. Let them think they’re in control. They might torture us… but we’ll act casual. Let me lead the conversation.” 

Beatrix gritted her teeth. “Fine. But only because I know you’ll leave me behind otherwise.”

He dared to press a kiss on her cheek. “Good girl. Now, the few seconds.” He jogged back near the truck he’d been pointing at. She waved her hand, releasing the spell momentarily as he sped past to hide behind the tarp on the truck. Both Bonnie and Damon caught the movement.

“Did you just see that?” Bonnie asked, looking mildly anxious.

“I did that time,” Damon confirmed when Kai sped past again, an indiscernible blur. “Let’s go meet our little friend.”

Just as the two made their way to the truck, Beatrix resumed the spell. A now invisible Kai clapped and went into the store. Beatrix released the spell on him once more, as he was now hidden inside. 

Bonnie and Damon, meanwhile, were confused because now, no one was there. “It was behind the pickup,” Beatrix heard Bonnie tell the vampire beside her. 

“No. It was in the front,” Damon argued. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Absolutely I'm sure. It was right there.”

The tarp on the truck fluttered in front of them, and both Damon and Bonnie looked crestfallen. Beatrix took the time to go and pop another quarter, turning the carousel back on. 

That just gave rise to another argument. Clearly, Damon was convinced that this was all just coincidental and that they really were alone. Bonnie was insistent that they needed to be hopeful— that this definitely meant that someone else was in there with them. Beatrix just rolled her eyes and went into the store, where she found Kai already munching on pork rinds in the wine section, seated comfortably on some patio furniture.

“They’re arguing again,” said Beatrix. “Damon most likely will come in.”

“Good. You turned all the bourbon to vervain, yes?”

“Yes.”

Kai smirked. “Now, stay quiet. He’ll be in here soon.”

Right on schedule. Damon, looking incredibly displeased with life, came down the aisle, looking for a particular bottle of bourbon. There was a moment when Beatrix thought he might be too angry to register any sound, but soon, she saw the twitch in his face when he heard the incessant crunching of Kai enjoying pork rinds.

He moved forward slowly, and only stopped when he saw Kai, lounged back. Thankfully, Kai had allowed Beatrix to cut his hair, so he looked somewhat presentable. 

“Rough day, huh, Damon?” Kai spoke up, making Damon’s eyes widen, as if he previously thought he’d been hallucinating. “Sorry. Manners. I’m Kai— nice to meet you.” He tilted the opening of the bag toward him. “Pork rind?”

Even with the smirk on Kai’s face, Damon didn’t seem about to be friendly. He just stared at the bag, not knowing how to react, so Kai took the opportunity to pluck out two pieces for himself and munch on them. Loudly.

“That is gonna have to stop,” Damon said sharply.

Kai grinned. “Oh, you think this is annoying? Hmm. Try listening to you and Bonnie bicker every five minutes.”

“So you've been following us,” deduced Damon.

“Of course I have. You two are the closest thing I have a to a TV. I mean, you're no ‘Baywatch,’ but..." he paused and laughed. "Remember ‘Baywatch?’”

Beatrix recalled back when Kai used to tell her similar things. Whenever she wasn’t telling him her life story, he was ranting on and on about shows and movies like Baywatch and The Karate Kid. 

“No, I do not,” Damon responded.

Kai seemed almost disappointed. “Oh. Oh, man, you got to watch it. You like lifeguards, like... Hot ones?” he winked, but Damon wasn’t fazed. 

“This has been a monumentally bad day in a sea of bad days, so I'm gonna need to know who you are, what you're doing here, and how it relates to me, or I'm gonna rip your throat out,” he said all in one breath, making Beatrix chuckle.

Kai’s expression became serious. “Temper's gonna get you in trouble, Damon. It's already driven Bonnie away how many times? Oh, oh, oh, wait. I know. Thirteen.”

Damon made a face. “You think my temper's bad with her? _I like her._ You, not so much.”

Within a second, Damon had sped forward and yanked Kai up by the collar. Kai held his hands up in surrender and pretended to apologize. “Okay, okay. Sorry. Seriously. I'm just kind of rusty on the face-to-face type human interactions.”

Damon dropped him roughly on the ground. “Answers now.”

“Maybe you should have a drink,” Kai offered as he straightened up. “That usually calms you down.” Beatrix was surprised that Damon hadn’t found that suspicious at all. He had simply thanked Kai half-heartedly and gone for a bottle of vervain, opening up.

Kai was still speaking. “...then makes you angry, then sad, then calm again. It's a weird cycle, and look, if you really want to know the reason I'm following you…” he took a dramatic pause as Damon took a swig of bourbon, “it's because I want to kill you.”

Beatrix had to admit, the timing of that was impeccable. Damon coughed out the bourbon, grunting in pain as the skin around his mouth began to burn, forming reddish sores and causing him to spit out blood.

Kai looked overjoyed.”Vervain in your bourbon. Who didn't see that one coming?” He turned around and picked up the beach umbrella behind where he’d been sitting. “Anyway… tell me, who buys patio furniture from a grocery store? I mean, somebody must. Otherwise, it... it wouldn't be here.” He snapped the umbrella stand in half, discarding the longer piece and keeping the part that actually expanded. “Now, a stake in the heart should do it, right?”

Damon tried to lunge forward, though still on the ground, and Kai quickly stabbed the wooden part of the umbrella into his hand, making Damon yell out. “You can always fight dirty, Damon,” Kai mused, twisting the wood into the back of his hand and making the vampire on the ground roar from the searing discomfort. “Like that time you and Bonnie played monopoly and you stole from the bank. Not cool.”

Beatrix was impressed when Damon managed to free his hand. He stood, glaring murderously at Kai. “I'm gonna rip your head off,” he snarled. 

Kai shouldered the umbrella like a baseball bat. “No. You’re not.” He swung, breaking through all the bottles on the third shelf and splashing the vervain on Damon. He yelled and crumpled down, his skin completely red. “I didn't know which bottle you'd take, so I made sure all of them had vervain in them.” He brought the umbrella back into a proper hold, moving forward like he was going to stake Damon.

“Stay away from him.”

Bonnie had arrived, and she looked thoroughly pissed. Kai chose to taunt her even more. 

“The useless one is here,” he chuckled. “Thank God. I've watched you try to do magic for months now. What are you gonna do, fail at me? It's embarrassing. I'm embarrassed for you.”

Damon and Bonnie shared a look. Beatrix could sense how emotional Bonnie was getting. Despite how infuriating Damon was, he was still her friend, and she didn’t want him to be killed. She turned to one of the many candles on the rack, and suddenly, the wick was lit. 

“Uh oh,” Kai said. Bonnie looked down at Damon. “Run.”

He disappeared, and Bonnie stepped forward, smirking proudly. “ _Phesmatos Incendia_.”

Kai immediately leapt back to avoid being stung by the flames that appeared. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said quickly, as if wanting to convince Bonnie that he was actually scared.

“Giving up so soon?” she taunted. “I'm embarrassed for you.”

Beatrix hated to be a killjoy, especially when Bonnie looked so satisfied. But just as she finished her sentence, she made herself visible, causing the ring of fire around Kai to vanish. Bonnie stepped back, clearly not having been expecting that. 

Kai grinned wickedly. “Did I forget to mention I also have a witch on my side?” he purred. 

“Okay, I admit, this was kind of fun,” Beatrix said, making him let out a triumphant laugh. “But it’s my turn now.” She then snapped her fingers, and he crumpled to the floor. Bonnie took another step back, not sure whether to attack or not.

“Don’t worry, darling, I’m not going to try and kill you,” Beatrix said, taking one slight step forward. “I just want to—”

She hadn’t been expecting Damon to knock her out from behind. 

**_**

When she woke up, she found herself and Kai tied up in chairs. Kai’s hands were taped down just at the wrists, but hers were completely covered, making it very uncomfortable. She tried to move them, and couldn't. 

Kai looked up as he, too, regained consciousness. He looked over at Beatrix, then at Damon, who was towering over them, holding a fireplace poker and Kai’s bag of pork rinds. “You’re both awake. Good. Now for the Q&A portion of the evening.”

“Q&A while we’re tied up?” groaned Beatrix. “I didn’t know all four of us were into bondage…”

Kai smirked, rolling his eyes at her comment. “Let’s guess… we answer right, we get a pork rind. Wrong, we get a poker.” 

“What? No, no, no.” Damon put the bag of pork rinds behind his back. “These are for me. You both just get the poker.” For effect, he pressed the poker onto Kai’s chest. 

“Yeah. You don't have to do that,” said Kai. “We’re on the same team.”

Bonnie, who’d been standing behind them, apparently, came forward. “Really? Do you always try and kill your teammates?”

“For the record, that was his idea,” Beatrix said with a cheeky grin. “I suggested from the start that I just reteach you magic in my own way.”

Kai drew the attention back to himself. “Either way, the important thing is that you have your magic back. It worked. What, you... you didn't really think I'd kill Damon, did you?” He chuckled as Damon and Bonnie shared an awkward look. “In what universe does that make sense? Who would kill one fourth of our population? I'm not a monster. I knew Bonnie would show up. She always comes back, all thirteen times, and I knew with the right motivation she'd be able to access her magic, although I-I did get a little worried with all your bickering that Damon's life wouldn't be enough motivation, but turns out it was. I guess that's just how you two show your love.”

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. “So you did all that just to make sure I would have my magic?”

“Of course we did,” Kai said, grinning. “Because your magic is the key to getting the hell out of here.”

Damon paused for a bit, thinking his words over, before putting the poker against Beatrix’s chest. “You seem like you’ll actually talk,” he said. “Now, who are you?”

“Ignore her,” Kai said before Beatrix could answer. “Let me guess, you want to know how to get out? I need a few things first.” He looked directly at Bonnie, who was staring curiously at Beatrix, as if sensing something was off about her. “You. Get me a can opener, a shower drain, a grinding wheel, some jam, a pocket knife, volume ‘O’ of the encyclopedia, a nail, and a black marker. Pronto.”

Albeit confused, Bonnie left. Kai looked smug as he turned back to Damon. “We’ll talk in the morning, yeah? How about you go to sleep now. We’ll still be here. I want those supplies before I start to talk.”

Damon gritted his teeth and kicked Kai’s chair before following Bonnie out. Kai’s eyes then darkened, and he turned to Beatrix. “Stay still and shut up,” he snarled. “I want to lead this. Don't even think about speaking to them, not until I give you permission."

She growled but didn’t retort. She had no energy for this. 

They were quite unfortunately left tied up the entire night. Beatrix had to deal with Kai snoring in her ear the entire time. She simply couldn’t sleep with that posture. 

Damon had come early the next morning, stating that Bonnie was nearly done gathering the supplies. He didn’t remove the tape. He sat across from them with a bottle of bourbon, staring intently. “It’s morning. She’ll be back soon. Now, how do we get out of here?”

Kai paused as if to think. “We asked ourselves that question for a long time. I remember at one point, we were really thinking about it, and considering every part of the world as like, a basis. So we thought, hey, this is a bit of an existential crisis. Let’s go visit Washington D.C. for inspiration. Beatrix said it was nice, and I’d never been. We drove and got to the White House for a nice personalized tour. And, of course, we broke into the Oval Office and Beatrix took a picture of me at the window, looking all JFK. A series of pictures, really, they looked super good. But then, I was like, ‘Wait— how am I going to get these developed?’ And then—”

Damon let out an exasperated groan. “Oh my god, just answer the damn question. How are we going to get out of this Twilight Zone?”

Kai seemed pleased to be aggravating him further. “I got a question for you, first. Why do you think we're stuck on a repeating loop of May 10, 1994? Doomed to relive a solar eclipse forever and ever, and ever?”

“How the hell should I know?” Damon said, taking a swig of the bourbon bottle next to him. 

“Well, I heard you tell Bonnie this place was your own personal hell. I'm kinda curious why.”

Just then, Bonnie came into the room holding a backpack. “I found everything you asked for,” she announced, dumping the contents of the bag on top of the table between them. “Now what?”

“Can’t show you with my hands taped,” Kai said smartly. “Feel free to leave Beatrix restrained, though."

Damon didn’t seem to eager to release Kai, but he and Bonnie seemed to silently agree that releasing Kai wouldn’t be as bad as releasing Beatrix. If only they knew. Bonnie extracted a pocket knife and cut off the tape, making Kai smirk and thank her, rubbing his wrists and leaning over to the pile. 

“Okay. Fine,” Damon huffed. “How is this pile of crap going to get us out of here?”

“I'll explain…” promised Kai, “as soon as you tell me what you did on May 10, 1994.”

This was frustrating for Damon. It seemed like it was the last thing he wanted to talk about. “What difference does it make!?”

“Let me put it this way,” said Kai. “Bonnie's magic is one part of the equation. My as-yet undisclosed knowledge is the other. Beatrix is useful in other ways. Which means you would be hitching a ride home for free. I just want to know if you deserve to come along.”

Damon stormed over and yanked Kai up into the air, snatching the pocket knife from Bonnie and pressing it against the sociopath’s neck. “Or, I could just torture you until you say something useful,” he growled.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” blurted Beatrix flatly. “He’s not going to be of any use if he’s pissed off.”

Reluctantly, Damon dropped Kai and the knife. “Play nice,” Bonnie said sternly as Kai snickered appreciatively. 

“Stop trying to impress the new guy,” Damon hissed back at her. 

“Well, why don’t you just tell them your story?” 

“Maybe because I don't want to talk about the worst thing I ever did, Bonnie!”

Kai smirked and popped open a jar of jam. “Ooh, now I’m listening.” He dug his fingers into the jam and licked them clean, making Beatrix groan and shake her head. 

Beatrix could care less. Either way, Damon didn’t start talking. He stormed out, and Bonnie followed. “It’s a terrible coincidence that his worst thing happened on the same day we got imprisoned here,” Beatrix said. “Now, can you untie me? The pocketknife is right there. I think Bonnie might have spelled the tape down, so maybe you could siphon it a bit, too.”

“Patience, Trixter,” Kai said with a smug grin as he devoured the jam on his fingers. “We’re taking this slowly.”

“It wouldn’t be detrimental if you released me! I wouldn’t even try to do magic!”

“Does it look like I care? You’ll stay there until they deem it fit to release you. We’re in phase two. Let’s let him tell us his evil thing. Either way, I probably won’t want him to come along.”

Beatrix growled angrily as Kai kept fiddling with the objects Bonnie had brought him. About twenty minutes later, Damon and Bonnie returned. The Salvatore man went to stand at the fireplace, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Hey, I need to be entertained while I work,” Kai prompted, laying back on the couch and moving a the can opener around the jam lid’s edge. “Hell story, please,” he coaxed in a sing song voice. 

“Remind me not to kill him,” Damon growled to Bonnie.

“Maybe telling him your story will take your mind off of it,” the witch suggested.

Damon stared at her incredulously. “Whose side are you on?”

“The side where we get to go home to the people we love?”

There was a silence, and Damon finally exhaled harshly through his nostrils. “Fine. On May 9, 1994, I was living here. I'd come home to walk the straight and narrow….”

Beatrix tuned out, honestly. She did catch a few snippets, about his brother Stefan, and some family member named Zach, who had a girlfriend named Gail and a baby on the way… something about needing to feed. She related, at least, to that. Sometimes it was excessively hard to hold back urges. 

At one point, she was surprised to hear snoring. She came out of her zoned out state to see Kai pretending to snore on the couch, before Damon could continue the rest of his story. She knew he was faking it— he didn’t snore that softly. He sounded more like a bulldozer.

“Perfect,” Damon hissed when he noticed. “Our savior’s insane, with a witch at his beck and call, and he’s narcoleptic.”

Beatrix had frowned, and Kai had opened his eyes. “No, no, no, I’m awake. Let me guess, you killed the pregnant woman.”

“Shut up, Kai, you weren’t listening,” said Damon.

“I deduced the same thing,” mumbled Beatrix under her breath. Only Bonnie heard her, because Kai had kept Damon’s attention on him. 

“I was listening, in my sleep,” he said. “You were hanging out with your distant-nephew Zach, who you called Uncle Zach, because that's not confusing. Plus, pregnant lady Gail, who had a big bull's-eye on her chest. Got it.”

Bonnie looked away from Beatrix, and turned to Damon, a worried expression on her face. “Tell me you didn't kill a pregnant woman.”

Kai grinned. “Oh, that's totally what happened. Why else would today be his personal hell? Oh… here we go…”

Damon had clearly had enough. He kneeled in front of Kai, glaring at him. “The only reason that you're alive right now is because I thought you could get us out of here and you could help us. But you don't HAVE any answers! You're just a man-child—” he threw the jar of jam across the room “with jam on your fingers!” He turned back to Beatrix. “Now, are you going to be of any use or am I going to have to rip your heart out?"

“She can answer this,” said Kai sweetly. “Why don’t you tell them how to get home, Trixter?”

All rehearsed. They had to pretend they didn’t have the Ascendant.

“See that thing he made with all those random parts you brought him?” said Beatrix boredly, nodding to the Ascendant model Kai had made. “To get out of here, we need to use the real version of that, called an Ascendant, to harness the power of the eclipse. It used to belong to his family, and it was in Oregon, last we heard.”

“Here’s a little blood to get you started on that,” Kai said, slitting the tip of his finger with the pocket knife. “Now, all we need is a locator spell to pinpoint its whereabouts.”

“Why didn’t she do this for you before?” said Damon, pointing at Beatrix. “She’s a witch.”

“Doesn’t work like that,” said Kai. “It needs to be done by a Bennett witch. Trix here is a distant Claire witch, and part Mayan witch, whatever you want to call it. Not the witch needed for this particular step.” He looked up at Bonnie. “So, it falls on you.”

Albeit skeptical, Damon turned to Bonnie. “Think you can find our ticket out of here, Bon-Bon?”

Bonnie nodded. “Hell yeah.” But before doing anything, she turned to Beatrix, and wove her hands, making the tape come off. 

“Why did you do that?” Damon said immediately, as if Bonnie were insane. 

“She’s not going to do anything,” answered Bonnie confidently. “She hasn’t tried to fight her way out of it. Besides, even if she can’t do the spell by herself, she can help me.”

The smile that the Bennett witch offered Beatrix made her feel slightly hopeful again.


	9. Chapter 9

**It had been a very long time since Beatrix had done magic with a normal witch.**

For one, she was pleased that Bonnie trusted her enough. It felt nice to not have her wrists held down so violently. 

But when they had prepared the map and the candles, Bonnie had taken her hands without much warning, and Beatrix flinched. Whenever Kai had done that, he had usually siphoned, which hurt.

“Sorry,” Bonnie said quickly, looking away, a bit embarrassed. Outside, Damon was throwing around paper airplanes made of newspaper. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s alright,” said Beatrix gently. “I haven’t— um— done this in a really long time.”

She was aware of Kai’s gaze boring holes into her skull. He was somewhere behind her, watching and waiting. Not wanting her to say the wrong thing and reveal too much. 

“You um, look young,” Bonnie noticed, looking down to make sure everything was ready. Kai’s blood was neatly dropped over the state of Oregon. “Where did you grow up?”

“Are you going to do the spell or grill her on her childhood?” said Kai a bit sharply. He wasn’t wanting them to find out about he or Beatrix’s real identities yet. 

The two women shared an exasperated look. “Let’s just start,” sighed Beatrix. In unison, they chanted. “ _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem_.”

Bonnie peeked down at the map and frowned. “It doesn’t feel right. Maybe we need a bigger map?”

“Maybe you’re just out of practice and you suck at magic now,” taunted Damon, coming back in and dropping a newspaper on the table. 

Kai stood and came closer. “Ignore him, Bonnie,” he urged. “Pretend he's a white-noise machine. That's how I used to tune out my siblings. I grew up with a ton of little sisters and brothers. You know, all of them constantly yammering.” He moved closer to body, letting his body lean in. “But it taught me how to focus…”

“Easy there, big brother!” Damon said sharply, since it looked like Kai was about to kiss Bonnie. “She doesn't know you. At least buy her a drink.”

“Not every woman requires a drink before giving in,” Kai said, smirking in amusement. “Why ruin someone’s sobriety for entertainment? Beatrix didn’t need a drink.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened. “Wait… you two—?”

“Not a thing, no,” hissed Beatrix, shooting Kai a murderous glare. 

“Define, ‘thing,’” Kai prompted. “Cause it happened… several times.”

“I’m going to burn this revelation out of my memory,” Bonnie blurted out, covering her ears as she left, seemingly to retrieve a bigger map.

“Thanks a lot, Kai,” Beatrix snapped as Damon made a weird face.

When Bonnie returned with a bigger map, she refrained from looking at Beatrix when they linked hands. “ _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem. Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem.”_

“The spell's moving towards Virginia,” Kai said, looking over Beatrix’s shoulder. “That can't be right…”

“Mhm, the spell's working,” confirmed Bonnie. “It's showing me Mystic Falls. It feels so... close.” She came closer to Kai and held up her hand. The flames on the candles shot up, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s right here.” She let her hand press onto his chest, and the flames extinguished. With a devilish smirk, Kai extracted the ascendant from his jacket pocket. “Very good.”

“That's the Ascendant?” Bonnie asked.

Kai nodded, with a smug grin. “The one and only.”

Damon let out a soft growl. “Thanks for the mind games, jackass.” He turned to Beatrix. “You are really starting to get on my nerves…”

“It was just another little test,” Kai said. “To make sure Bonnie's magic was precise enough for the spell. I do believe you're ready. Pack your bags— we're going home.”

The instant Damon and Bonnie left, Kai turned to Beatrix. “I expect I’m never going to see you again once we get out, huh?” 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I would like to at least gather information in a lowkey place to figure out where I’m meant to go. I can’t waltz back into New Orleans. I need to first know if Marcel is still there.”

“Give Elijah my regards,” Kai said, winking. 

“Asshole,” she grumbled as she went to sit on the couch.

There was nothing to pack. Bonnie and Damon had each just taken one object each, it seemed— carry size. No bags required. Kai led the group out to the yard and looked at the sky through the small hole in the Ascendant. Pretending like he didn’t know what to do with it, of course. 

**“** You're wandering around like a crazy man, why?” asked Damon after about two minutes of Kai moving around the yard.

“Looking for the exact right spot,” he mused. “We need to found where the power of the eclipse is focused.”

“You know you could have just shown us the Ascendant to begin with,” said Bonnie tiredly.

Kai smirked back at her. “Yeah, but I wanted to feel your hand on my chest.”

Beatrix rolled her eyes, and heard Bonnie mutter: “There's something not right about him.”

“You're just not used to guys hitting on you,” Damon whispered back.

“You know, I can't wait to get out of here and talk to somebody else,” Bonnie added.

“Can we just have a few lasting seconds of peace while this idiot uses that thing to get the stars to align?”

Beatrix fought back a laugh. She walked behind Kai, hands tucked in her pockets as he started walking out onto the street. 

“Hey, what's up with the nature walk?” Damon asked. 

“I used the Ascendant to figure out where we need to be standing during the eclipse,” Kai answered.

“Great. Let's do some magic and get the hell out of here.”

Beatrix thought this was it. They were getting out. No more isolation— she was going to get to see people, real people again. She could find the Mikaelsons. Reunite with her family. Go back to Medical School, if she wished. She wondered what they were like now. 

“Oregon,” she heard Bonnie whisper behind her. “I read this paper like a thousand times, and there's something in it about Oregon.”

Kai looked over at Beatrix through his peripheral vision, smirking. They were onto him, and he didn’t seem to care. 

“What about it?” Damon asked. 

“You know, Kai said he had all these brothers and sisters,” Bonnie said quietly. “Listen— Family massacred in Portland. The only one missing was the oldest boy, a twenty-two-year-old named Malachai.”

“Who names a kid Malachai?” Kai said loudly. “It's like they expected me to be evil.”

Bonnie looked confused. “All these kids were murdered!”

Kai turned on his heel to face him, and Beatrix awkwardly followed suit. “Hello! Not everyone died. I had a soft spot for one of my sisters. 'Cause otherwise, I would've cut her lungs out, and not just her spleen.”

Bonnie choked. “What?”

“You can survive without a spleen,” Kai said. “Right, Beatrix? You’re the doctor here.”

“Right,” she said awkwardly. Damon grimaced. “Something tells me you're not speaking hypothetically.”

Kai trotted forward to look at the newspaper. “Look, well, these two, I, uh, hung off a stairwell railing. Then I put a hunting knife in her abdomen, and him, I drowned in the pool. But, he kept fighting me. I was like, ‘I saved you for last, you ungrateful little…’ Anyway, that was that.”

Bonnie looked absolutely revolted. “You just killed your whole family?”

“Coven, to be precise,” Kai clarified. “Oh, you know, family of witches. Beatrix isn’t a part of that. That’d be weird.”

“You're making us jump through hoops, and you're a witch?” Damon snapped. “Are you and Beatrix the most useless witches in the world, or what?”

“Sort of, yeah,” he answered smugly. “I have no powers, obviously. Beatrix is just not a Bennett. Oh, of course, the Gemini Coven did not take it too well when they heard what I did in Portland. It's why they banished me here.”

A look of realization passed over Bonnie’s face. “This place is a prison. They created it for you.”

Kai clapped slightly, as if mocking her. “Yup. This place isn't your hell, Damon. It's mine.”

Damon glared at Beatrix. “So where do you factor into this equation?”

“I’m a Heretic, darling,” Beatrix said, not caring if she had Kai’s approval to speak yet. “A witch and a vampire rolled into one.”

Bonnie took a step back. “What? But how— how is that possible?”

“Relax, darling, I’m not going to slaughter you,” Beatrix said, tucking her hands behind her back. “I was born like him. No powers. Got turned into a vampire, and it left me able to do magic.”

“Let me guess, you’re a murderer too, that’s why they sent you here,” Damon said, gritting his teeth.

“As are you,” she said with a shrug. “You talk about killing so freely. As a fellow vampire, I think it safe to assume that both you and I have a lot of blood on our hands. This is his prison, but I was put into it because the Gemini Coven wanted me gone.”

Bonnie scoffed, and turned around, heading back to the house. This seemed to be too much for her to internalize. She stormed back inside, Damon following closely behind. “We’re not letting them out of here, okay?” Beatrix heard her say. “Especially not Kai— he just said he’s a serial killer. And Beatrix has been helping him.”

“I don’t care about that!” Damon retorted. “I want to get out of here.”

“How can you not care? Maybe because of the horrible things you have done? Maybe ‘cause killing a bunch of kids is not a big deal to someone who’s murdered a pregnant woman? Do you relate to them?” There was a pause. Beatrix assumed maybe Damon had a hurt look on his face. 

She heard receding footsteps. When she stepped inside, she saw Bonnie sitting on the couch, holding her head in her hands. 

Beatrix slowly sat down across from her. “I’m a terrible person,” she said simply. “That I won’t deny. But it was in self-defense. To keep myself alive. It’s hard not to kill when everyone around you puts you in danger. Vampires— we have to feed, and sometimes we get carried away. I was at risk because of what I was. If I were caught, I would have been killed. And I got myself involved with a family who has a lot of enemies.”

The woman across from her looked up. “Distract me,” she said. “Tell me about you.” She looked sideways and saw Kai wasn’t there. “I want… I want to at least hear you out. Not him.”

Beatrix sighed. “It’s a long story. But the short version… is this.”

She told her the briefest version she could about her upbringing and travels without extending it too much. They didn’t have the time. However, at the name ‘Klaus Mikaelson,’ Bonnie flinched.

“You know Klaus?” she said.

It was Beatrix’s turn to flinch. “Yes. He’s my sire. Do… do you?”

“He tormented us for almost a year,” she said, smiling as if the aftermath of the memory wasn’t all that bad, but a frown soon followed. “He and his family brought a lot of trouble. Hurt a lot of people we knew.”

“His family?” she breathed. “Like— like Elijah, Kol, Rebekah—”

Bonnie nodded. “Yeah… Elijah wasn’t the worst. Kol was a pain in the ass and Rebekah was trying to kill my best friends, but eventually… they left. Why? Are they— are they the family with a lot of enemies that you mentioned?”

The Heretic gave a slow assent of her head. “They’re my family, basically. Klaus sired me— made me the Original Heretic. Kol and Rebekah are my best friends. Elijah… well, he thinks I’m dead, but he was my lover.”

Bonnie suddenly gulped. “Oh… Beatrix… you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

Her blood ran cold. “What do you mean?”

“Kol… he was trying to kill someone very close to me. My best friend’s brother. He… he had this task to kill a lot of vampires. Finn Mikaelson was killed before, and we found out that when an Original dies, their sireline dies with them. So… Kol… Kol is dead.”

“No,” Beatrix said immediately. “No— you’d have needed a White Oak Stake— Mikael had that. There— there was no way— Finn and Kol can’t be dead!”

“Mikael is dead too,” Bonnie said. “Klaus killed him. There were more stakes— Kol had one on him when he died. Beatrix, I—”

“Where are they now?” she demanded, trying not to let herself get emotional. But she felt furious. It was one thing for Kol to have been daggered. But to find out he was dead?

“I-I don’t have all the details but last I heard, they were in New Orleans.”

“New Orleans? You’re sure? Why— why would they go back?”

“My friend Caroline… she told me that Klaus and a werewolf had conceived a baby. I think by now, it was born.”

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she covered her mouth, gasping for air. Klaus was a father now. Kol was dead. They were back in New Orleans— Rebekah and Marcel must have rekindled. And Elijah…

Her hands were shaking. She forced herself to inhale, and shivered when it pained her. “I’m so sorry, Beatrix,” Bonnie said in a small voice. “I—”

“Stop talking,” Beatrix snapped, her voice unsteady. “Don’t— don’t offer me your condolences. You all— you killed Kol on purpose.”

“H-He was going to kill Jeremy, I—”

“I don’t care who Jeremy is! Kol is dead! I-I’ve waited— I’ve waited nearly a century to see him again! I thought— I thought he’d be safe right where I last saw him, daggered—”

Damon came back in the room, and Bonnie tried to beckon him to leave. “Why are we talking about Kol Mikaelson?” he said, grimacing. “Good riddance, I’d say, he was a psychotic little—”

“Damon, no!” Bonnie cried.

Too late. Beatrix growled and slashed her hand in the air, sending Damon flying back. When he landed, she coiled her hand inward, and he let out a pained yell, holding his head. “Bon—” Another wave of her hand and she broke the bones in his hands, making him let go of his head.

“Beatrix, stop!” screamed Bonnie, terrified. “It’s not— it’s not his fault—”

Beatrix wasn’t listening. She twisted her hand further, and Damon thrashed on the floor, howling as she broke the bones in his legs. Next, she’d make his eyes bleed…

“Jeremy died!” Bonnie screamed. “He died after he killed Kol! They’re even!”

“You act like I care about a mortal boy’s life,” Beatrix snarled, facing her. She could see Kai watching the scene with interest at the end of the hallway, munching on pork rinds as usual. “He killed my best friend and I’m supposed to be satisfied with the death of a mortal? They’re expendable!”

Before she could turn back to Damon, Kai came forward, and moved her hand down, forcing her to release the spell. “How about, as punishment, you admit all the gorey details about how you killed that pregnant woman, huh, Damon?” he announced. “I’ll keep Trixter here in line.”

He yanked her to the couch, making her spout out curses. He was siphoning off of her, and she was having to resist the urge to scream. All she felt was anger, and pain, and a need for revenge… 

Kai forced her to sit down, and left her so drained that all she could do was slump back. He hadn’t taken so much from her in awhile, as they hadn’t had time to practice their dark magic. Damon slowly sat across from Bonnie one he was healed, refraining from looking at Beatrix. 

She wasn’t listening to him anyway. 

“Ouch, poor nephew-uncle Zach,” Kai said afterward, still holding her down to keep her from leaving. 

Damon kept his gaze down. “Stefan compelled Uncle Zach to forget about the girlfriend and the baby. But, he couldn't cover up all those murders. Founder's Council was restarted, and Stefan took off. Left Mystic Falls for about fifteen years. We both did. And when I saw Uncle Zach again, I couldn't look at him without remembering that I ruined everything. So it was a nice relief when I got to kill him. Okay, can we go back now?”

Bonnie shook her head slightly, apparently still stuck on the fact that she didn’t think they should help Kai and Beatrix get out. Beatrix knew why. After her outburst, after the dark tendencies Bonnie had seen in her, there was no way she’d want to let her out into the world.

“Oh, come on, Bonnie,” said Kai, standing up. “You wanna go home to your friends, I wanna go back and give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death, and Beatrix isn’t even planning on staying in Mystic Falls— she just wants to see her family. Win-win.”

Damon tried to argue in Kai and Beatrix’s favor. “Look, Bonnie, I know this guy’s not a model citizen and I know that witchy over there just tried to fry my face off, but I gotta get back. Not just for Elena, but for my brother.”

Bonnie had not changed her mind. “I’m sorry, Damon.”

“Sorry doesn’t work for me,” Kai sneered, lunging forward to grab Bonnie. Damon stopped him, slamming him back into a wall.

“We may be having a bit of a disagreement, but don't ever lay a hand on her,” Damon snarled. 

Kai glared back without much emotion. “Kind of a non-issue now. We missed the day's eclipse. Rain check for tomorrow?”

“No,” Bonnie answered, storming away to her room. 

After Damon left, Kai turned to Beatrix. “We still need them to cooperate, at least until we’re almost at the end,” he said lowly. “But they’ve pissed both of us off. So now, I think it’s time we made sure they stay in line, don’t you think?”

A sadistic smile appeared on Beatrix’s face. “Yes, I do think.”

In the evening, they had refrained from coming close to Damon or Bonnie, who were in the kitchen. They were nearby though, listening. 

“...you make pancakes every day,” Bonnie was saying, referencing the woman Damon had killed. “‘Cause I’m bored,” Damon retorted. “No,” Bonnie said. “‘Cause you're punishing yourself. You call this place your hell, and it means you feel remorse. That makes you different from Kai. Maybe there is hope for you.”

Kai leaned in at the mention of his name.

“Look, we can still get outta here, Bonnie,” Damon whispered. “We can steal that ‘Descendant’ contraption, find out what Kai and Beatrix know and we'll ditch them. Kai doesn’t have powers anyway and we can take on Beatrix together.”

Kai chose to walk out of the doorway into their view. “Actually, it’s not that simple.”

Bonnie and Damon looked up. “You gotta stop doing that,” the vampire muttered. “It’s creepy.”

“Here's the thing,” Kai began, “I have a killer effect on magic. I can't generate it myself. But, I can consume it from others temporarily. My family called me an abomination. That hurt my feelings.” He lunged forward and seized Bonnie’s wrist, siphoning and making her scream. He waved his hand and the stove caught on fire. Damon started to moan in pain, holding his head again. 

“Okay, we get it!” he yelled.

Kai smirked in satisfaction and ceased siphoning, putting the fire out and allowing Damon to be rid of his headache. “You can see why my coven and I didn't get along. Why they don’t like witches that are born the way Beatrix and I were.”

“I smell an ultimatum,” Damon growled. 

Kai shrugged. “If I consume all of Bonnie's magic I'm just gonna end up killing her. But, if we work together, we can all go home as friends. Or I can devour her magic, let Trixter kill you both so she can get her revenge, and she and I will go home alone. What's it gonna be?”

Damon and Bonnie shared a concern look. Submission. Wordlessly, their agreement was out in the open. They’d conceded. 

“Perfect,” Kai said. “Now, don’t worry. I’ll keep Trixter in line. As long as you cooperate, you won’t need to worry. Sound good to you?”

“Whatever,” Damon growled. Pleased, Beatrix and Kai both returned to their still shared room.

“It’s only been eighteen years,” Kai said gleefully. “I can’t wait to look those same Coven members in the eye when we slaughter them…” He threw off his jacket and shirt. “I am in a very good mood now.”

“I’m in a terrible mood,” grumbled Beatrix. “All this fucking waiting to get out and my best friend won’t be there. And Klaus… I can’t believe he’s a dad now. I should have been there to see that. To help him. All of them.”

“At least now you know where they are and you can find them easily,” said Kai, coming over to her and pinning her on the bed. “Now come on, let’s celebrate.”

“But I feel murderous,” she grumbled. 

“Foreplay comes in many different forms. What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking… that if you ever, at any point, seek to kill Bonnie and Damon once we get out… I’d like for you to call me so that I can come and make them suffer.”

Kai’s eyes flashed darkly, and he dipped down to kiss her hungrily. “I will definitely hold you to that. You know I always deliver..."

She missed Elijah most of all that night. After she and Kai finished and lay exhausted beside each other, she wanted more than anything for the reality to change. For her to wake up in Elijah’s bed. She couldn’t imagine what the siblings had gone through, losing two brothers. Even if they hadn’t gotten along most centuries, it must have been absolutely terrible to lose them permanently.

Darkness was invading her mind. Her birthright, flooding into her conscience and devouring it. It had been a long time since she let it take over her.

Now, Elijah wasn’t there to stop it.


	10. Chapter 10

**When Beatrix opened her eyes, she saw Kai was staring at her.**

“What the fuck is your problem?” she hissed, flinching and pulling the sheets to cover herself properly. 

“You were talking in your sleep again,” he said smugly. “I heard the names ‘Kol’ and ‘Elijah.’”

“I was reliving memories,” she mumbled, getting up to get dressed.

Kai simply continued to stare. She put on a sweater that she had found in the Mikaelson compound when she had snuck into Elijah’s room, all those years ago. When she got out, she wanted to be wearing it. Her dream had reminded her that she had it in her possession. Under Kai’s almost baleful watch, she slipped on some baggy jeans, and sneakers she hadn’t worn in probably a decade.

“You’re always hassling me about looking presentable and that’s the outfit you choose to reunite with your man?” scoffed Kai.

She turned back, to where he was dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and a jacket, as usual. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

He moved closer, gazing at her intently. “Did you mean what you said last night?” he asked. “Or was it just the heat of an angry moment?”

She sighed and leaned against the closet door. “I think so. I feel angry. But if I see Elijah again today… the feeling might wash away.”

Kai pursed his lips. “Okay. But I will call you when I get my master plan through to destroy the Gemini Coven. So you can show me the perks of being a Heretic.”

“Fine.” She shrugged and went into the bathroom.

After they had a very tense breakfast with Damon and Bonnie (where Beatrix finally got to try the pancakes), Kai pulled her out the door and told the others to follow behind. He held the Ascendant up, pretending to be checking for the right spot again. He and Beatrix had known just which spot of the woods would suffice since years ago. But the others didn’t know that.

“They’re so gullible sometimes,” Kai said with a chuckle as he held an ax over his shoulder. “They think we’re looking, but we already know… and after this I’ll make Damon dig and dig, just to leave him here. Pity for him.”

Beatrix didn’t answer. She trudged behind him, thinking back to what she had dreamed.

_“Itza.”_

_Elijah was in the doorway of their room. She turned, smiling. “Hey, ‘Lijah,” she said softly. “What’s going on?”_

_“I have a surprise for you,” he said, holding his arm up. “Please, come.”_

_Skeptically, she went over, taking his arm as he led her out of the room. It was early 1901, and most days, Beatrix was either learning a new song on the piano and the violin, which Elijah had started teaching her, or she was stuck in the library reading. Elijah, however, had figured out something that would significantly cheer her up from being stuck inside._

_He led her toward the dining room, where Beatrix could hear someone eating very loudly. They sounded starved. At first, she listened to the rapid heartbeat and thought perhaps they had brought home another young child that needed a safe home, but as they neared, the beating sounded stronger, like that of an adult. What was more, it sounded familiar._

_When they entered the room, Beatrix’s eyes widened. Hunched over a plate and devouring an entire ham was Kol Mikaelson, dressed in clean clothes that fit the 1900s much better, compared to the ratty 1820s attire he’d been daggered in._

_“I undaggered him,” whispered Elijah as she let go of his arm, covering her mouth. “I thought you two might like some freedom. It would do you both well to travel, if you are up for it.”_

_Kol looked up at the sound of his brother’s voice, and grinned. “Trix, I was wondering when I was going to see you.” He wiped his mouth quickly, and Beatrix ran toward him, throwing her arms around him tightly. The younger Mikaelson brother looked at Elijah over her shoulder, nodding his appreciation. Pleased that Beatrix had enjoyed the surprise, Elijah left, giving them some time to have a proper reunion._

_“You haven’t changed a bit,” Kol mused when she pulled away. “Still look all scrawny—”_

_She smacked his arm, laughing. “Klaus actually taught me to fight, so I’m sure I can pose a proper threat, even if I look all weak.”_

_“Don’t tell me you’re gifted with compulsion! Why else would Klaus teach you?”_

_“You’re ridiculous. He wanted me to learn.”_

_Kol wiggled his eyebrows. “You and Klaus were an item for a bit, I’m guessing?”_

_She blushed. “In the 1830s, yes. Very brief, but he did teach me a lot. We still get along… for the most part. You know how he is.”_

_“Elijah came around too, didn’t he? I bet he fancied you since you met, but he never said anything. Just lurked around. Now, you two seem like a good pair.”_

_She pursed her lips. “Are you mad?”_

_“No, why would I be? You’re my best friend. Rebekah and I always considered you part of the family, and we always thought that you’d end up with either Elijah or Klaus. Or Finn, honestly, you two would get along swimmingly, but he’s very critical, so I’m guessing he is still daggered.”_

_Beatrix smiled and pulled him in for another hug. They remained silent, embracing and simply listening to the sound of the other breathing. “We can travel now, at least,” she whispered. “Where shall we go first?”_

_“Arabia, of course, darling,” Kol said without hesitation. “It’s about time you learned Kemiya firsthand.”_

“Hear that?”

She blinked, and turned to Kai. “What am I supposed to be hearing?”

“They’re close. Come on, let’s go and find them.”

Kai turned back the way they’d come, and Beatrix followed. 

“Look, I want to go home more than anything,” she heard Bonnie saying several feet away from them, “but Kai's a sociopath, who's to say he won't screw us over? Not to mention Beatrix wants to kill us after she found out about Kol.”

“Me, I say, because I will kill Kai and Beatrix and anyone who comes in the way of me going home,” Damon responded firmly. 

Kai bounded forward, holding the ax steady. “I heard my name,” he said casually, making Bonnie and Damon look up quickly. “All good I hope.” He held up the Ascendant. “The eclipse will happen directly overhead. In perfect alignment with the Gemini constellation.” He turned his gaze directly to Damon, who looked pissed. “ _You_ need to dig into the tunnels below us.”

“Why?” Bonnie demanded.

Kai leaned over as if talking to a small child. “Have you never portal-jumped through an eclipse before?” he said, gasping playfully to aggravate her. 

Damon and Bonnie glared at him, and Beatrix scoffed. “The light of the eclipse has to shine down to activate the Ascendant,” she said. “Combined with the spell, anyone who is in the circle of light and is holding the Ascendant will go home.”

“Let me see the spell, then,” Bonnie said, reaching her hand out to Beatrix as if she expected her to have it written down.

“When the time comes,” Kai said, pushing her hand down. He set the ax on the ground, then yanked Beatrix behind him and began to walk away.

“Where are you two going?” Damon asked sharply. “Don’t tell me you want a quickie before returning to the real world.”

Beatrix glanced back, and gritted her teeth, but Kai gripped her arm hard, siphoning just enough to get her to hold back a retort. “We’re going into town to gather… some important supplies,” Kai said, winking before pulling Beatrix away.

“I swear, I’m going to wring his neck and hang him to dry on a telephone pole,” she growled when they were far enough away.

“And to think you thought him attractive when he first arrived,” sighed Kai with fake dreaminess. “How the tables have turned…”

“He is attractive. But he’s insufferable. He obviously didn’t get along with Kol and he helped get him killed. Clearly, if he and Kol had issues, it’s for a reason. Kol may have had a temper with anyone and everyone but he didn’t hold grudges without cause.”

Kai seemed to be in too good of a mood to make her shut up. He let her rant about Kol for the entire time that they were in their old residence, gathering the things he wanted to take. He grabbed the pager he’d been carrying with him since Portland, and several other things that Beatrix found fairly meaningless. She supposed he did have certain objects he cared about.

By the time they returned, Damon had dug a deep enough hole and broken through to the tunnels that lay beneath them. 

“Looks like we got back just in time,” Kai announced, setting the backpack down.

In a blur, Damon sped forward and took the backpack, opening it to see what was inside. “Nosy,” chastised Beatrix with a small sneer.

“Zima, grunge, every Alex Rodriguez rookie card known to man, and a pager. Really?” Damon scoffed to Kai before dropping the bag on the ground.

“Um, yeah,” Kai said. “ _555-Hiya-Kai_ — no way am I giving those digits up.”

Damon was staring in disbelief, while Bonnie looked suspicious. “These are the important supplies you needed to get?”

“Look,” said Kai, holding his hands up. “ The future sounds great, all right? I'm super excited about the Internet, but 1994 has been my home for most of my life. I'd hate to get homesick. So let's get down there—”

“No,” Bonnie said sharply, walking forward and pushing Damon out of the way. “ _We_ are not going anywhere until you show me the spell.”

Kai cast her a complacent grin, and crossed his arms. “Okay.”

He remained completely still. At first, both Beatrix and Bonnie were confused, and there was a fraction of a second where they looked at each other. 

“Are we literally not going anywhere?” Damon asked.

“Apparently not,” said Beatrix, glaring at Kai. Why did he have to be so dramatic all the time?

Bonnie gritted her teeth audibly. “Fine, you don't want to show me the spell? Then you can do it yourself.”

Kai didn’t respond. He kept smiling, shifting his weight from his heels to the balls of his feet, letting his body rock. Bonnie then raised her arm. “You want my magic. Take it.”

This made the siphon raise his eyebrows. “Uh-oh, she's being brave.”

“I'm serious Kai!” snapped Bonie. “This was your big threat, wasn't it? If I do the spell and let us out of here, you'll just take my magic, leave me for dead, and do the spell yourself. So go ahead. Take all of it.”

Beatrix and Damon were both about to speak, when Kai gripped onto Bonnie’s shoulders. “Don’t mind if I do.” He began to siphon, and Bonnie yelped in pain. “I-It’s okay, he won’t kill me,” she managed.

“Kai, seriously, what are you doing?” Beatrix snapped as Bonnie whimpered, forcing herself not to pull away. Even though Beatrix was furious with Bonnie and Damon, she in no way wanted Kai to mess everything up by killing the girl before they got out. She kicked Kai back, and he just smirked back at Bonnie, who winced and held her arms. 

“He doesn’t know the spell,” she said to Damon. “Which means, we don’t need him.”

Beatrix wasn’t sure what gave Bonnie that impression, but within an instant, the ax that Damon had been using to dig into the ground was lodged into Kai’s chest.

“NO!” Damon yelled angrily. “No! BONNIE!”

Kai fell to the ground, dead, and Beatrix just giggled, covering her mouth. “I assure you, he knew the spell,” she said simply, making Damon groan.

“Great work, Bonnie,” he told her sarcastically. 

Bonnie looked at Beatrix. “Well? Are you going to help us or not?”

“Darling, I intended to help from the very beginning,” she said, kicking Kai’s shin. “And although I’d love nothing more than to cut that pretty head of yours off and place it on a stick, I still want to go home to my family.”

Bonnie gulped, but didn’t lose her stance. “Kol mentioned you, you know,” she said, keeping her voice level. 

Beatrix narrowed her eyes. “If this is some attempt to distract me before you do the same to me as you did to Kai—”

“No, I’m not lying,” Bonnie said. “It isn’t my memory, but it belonged to a Professor named Shane, who was trying to find the immortal witch Silas. Kol was trying to get us not to wake Silas, and he was torturing information out of Shane.” She offered her arm. “Please. Let me show you.”

Reluctantly, Beatrix took her hand.

Suddenly, she was standing in front of a man who looked highly disheveled. His green eyes glanced up when she, seemingly in Bonnie’s body, walked into the room. The man held up a bloodstained shirt, apparently what he had been wearing previously.

_“Turns out I miscalculated,” he said. “Kol’s gonna be a problem.”_

_“I almost killed someone, and that's what you miscalculated?” Bonnie’s voice rang out. “April could have died today!”_

_“And that's only because you didn't know the extent of your abilities,” the man told ‘Bonnie.’_

_“My father just became mayor. I can't be out doing black magic!” She turned to leave, but the man called her attention back. “That’s not what Expression is!”_

_“Then what is it?” ‘Bonnie’ demanded._

_“It's a way of doing magic that isn't monitored by nature or the spirits. It isn't good or bad, but it also has no limits. So how you use it is up to you. That's what I'm here for: to help you. Bonnie, listen to me. You are the key to everything. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you.” He then held out his hand. “Come. I want to show you my memory. You all need to be aware of Kol’s fears to be able to succeed despite his efforts to stop you. It will get worse.”_

_Beatrix’s body moved forward, and she took the Professor’s hand._

_Suddenly, she was in another memory, now in the man’s body. She was underwater, and she gasped for breath, before she was yanked out roughly._

_“WHERE IS THE CURE?” snarled Kol in her ear before dunking her back into the water. The Professor thrashed around, and Beatrix felt herself struggling to breathe even though it wasn’t real._

_“Where is the cure?” Kol demanded when he pulled her back up for air. The scene blurred before her as he let her go. When her vision cleared, she saw Rebekah had walked into the room, and she was now facing both her and Kol._

_“You’re human,” Rebekah said. “Why do you want it anyway?”_

_The Professor’s voice rang out. “That’s the beauty of this. You can have it. I just want Silas.”_

_Kol lunged forward and seized the Professor by the shirt. “What do you know about Silas?”_

_“He's the world's first immortal being,” the Professor panted, “who just happens to be imprisoned with the cure...and I want to free him.”_

_“No!” Kol yelled, shoving them back into the water. But Rebekah intervened immediately and pulled them out. “Stop! He’s of no use dead!”_

_The man coughed loudly as he tried to regain his breath, and Beatrix looked up to see Kol glaring furiously at Rebekah. “Did you not just hear what he said?” Kol snarled. “Silas will kill us all, sister!”_

_“Silas does not exist,” Rebekah argued. “He is a-a fairytale made up to scare children into eating their vegetables!”_

_“No he isn’t!” Kol growled. “Fuck— none of you know anything! He is real! If Beatrix were here, she’d prove my point!”_

_“None of us are Beatrix, Kol,” said Rebekah sharply. “We don’t know all the witchy things you do. As far as we know, Silas is NOT real!”_

_“Silas is very real,” the Professor said hoarsely. “I know where he's buried, and soon I will have the spell that wakes him.”_

_Kol gritted his teeth and turned to the Professor. “Wait a second— you’re lying. You can’t get to him.”_

_“Without his tombstone? Dozens to die in a blood sacrifice? Believe me, I know. I've done it. Those massacres are a pain to engineer.”_

_Rebekah’s eyes widened. “You're the one who got the council blown up.”_

_“It was a noble sacrifice...and temporary, because once I raise Silas, Silas will raise the dead. He will bring back every last soul who died on his behalf.”_

_Kol had had enough. He grabbed a pole from behind him and stabbed it through Shane. Rebekah yelled out and shoved Kol back. “You can’t kill him!” she screamed._

_“I can’t have Silas show up and destroy everything before we find her, Rebekah!” Kol spat, shoving her aside to keep her from pulling the pole out of Shane. “Maybe you think that there’s no hope, because you think she’s dead, but I know she isn’t!”_

_“She and Marcel were killed in an Opera House, Kol!” shrieked Rebekah. “You weren’t there! You didn’t see how Mikael tied them up and lit the place on fire! They could never have escaped! He’s saying that Silas will raise the dead— he can bring her back!”_

_“First of all— whose fault is it that I wasn’t there?” he growled. “You blabbed to Klaus and he daggered me! None of you— except maybe Elijah— ever tried to understand what Trix and I studied. None of you ever cared about magic! And believe me when I tell you that she’s not dead! I know it! Silas can’t return! I’ll die before I let that happen!”_

The memory then faded, and Beatrix found herself standing in front of Bonnie and Damon once more. She blinked, and found that she had teared up. 

“I’m sorry,” Bonnie whispered. “I just thought you should see that.”

Beatrix swallowed back a small sound that threatened to escape her. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. It had felt so good to see Kol again, to know he had been undaggered, that he had had freedom again. But knowing that he was dead only made it hurt that much more.

“If you’re willing to cooperate,” Bonnie said softly, “then I have no problem letting you come with us, Beatrix. I know you want to see them again, and I know they’ll want to see you, too. We just need the spell. We have a few hours until the eclipse, and then we can leave. Do we have a deal?”

Beatrix looked down at Kai’s body. In a few hours, he’d be back. But she wasn’t sure whether she should tell them that or not. He may have been one of the worst of the bunch, but she didn’t think he deserved to stay behind.

“Fine, we have a deal,” she said, keeping the resurrection secret to herself.

And it seemed like it was really going to happen. That things would run smoothly and the three of them would get to go home. Beatrix forced herself to not think of the fact that Kai would revive soon. She hoped they’d be gone by the time that he came back. She didn’t want to face him. Right now, it felt like the appropriate time to be selfish. But even though he was a sociopath, guilt started eating away at her. 

Damon finished digging the hole properly, and Beatrix made a circle on the dirt in the tunnel below to mark where the light would come in. She found the spell in the grimoire Bonnie had, and showed it to her, allowing her to practice it a few times. 

“It’s time,” Beatrix said, feeling a bit calmer now. 

“Alright,” Damon said as he and Bonnie met her in the center, under the light of the eclipse. “Let’s get awkward.”

Bonnie held the Ascendant up in between them. Beatrix placed her hand under Bonnie’s, and Damon placed his hand under hers. 

“I'm sure there are about a billion people you'd rather be here with…” Damon told Bonnie. 

Bonnie smiled, and looked at Damon, then at Beatrix. The Heretic was surprised that the witch’s smile didn’t waver. “Not exactly. Let’s go— AHH!”

Beatrix and Damon leapt back, seeing an arrow lodged into Bonnie’s side, causing her to drop the Ascendant.

“Forgetting someone?” Kai said, pointing the crossbow at Damon. He smirked malevolently. “Let me guess, Beatrix forgot to tell you that she and I tried to kill ourselves and each other many times before, only for us to come back.”

“I thought we’d be gone by the time you arrived,” Beatrix growled. 

“Here’s the thing,” Kai said, stepping forward, and now aiming the crossbow at Bonnie’s chest. “I still need you, Trixter. Them, not so much. Not anymore, at least. So Damon, if you even think of leaning down to grab that Ascendant, the next arrow will go into Bonnie’s heart.”

Beatrix glanced over to where Damon had been staring at the Ascendant. Instead, he sped to Bonnie, holding her in his arms and ripping out the arrow. He bit into his wrist, ready to heal her. Kai raced to the Ascendant, but Beatrix shot it away from him. “We all go together or not at all,” she snapped, feeling her temper rising. 

“See, that’s going to be a problem,” Kai said. Before Damon could fully heal Bonnie with his blood, he shot an arrow at Beatrix, then at Damon, making them yell in pain. Beatrix began to pull hers out when Kai shot her again— twice this time, and stepped toward her, grasping her temples and making her scream as he siphoned directly out of her head. “Don’t test me Trixter. I can always find someone else to turn me into a Heretic, can’t I?”

He lunged for the Ascendant but Damon shot toward him, slamming him back, before yelling as Kai stabbed him with yet another arrow. Beatrix pulled the arrows out of herself and grunted, trying to crawl over to Bonnie to heal her. “Get out of here,” she told her as she bit into her own wrist. “Now!”

“No,” Bonnie said, pushing her hand away. “I’m not going to make it— but you and Damon are.”

“What? Bonnie, no—”

“ _Motus_!” She sent Kai flying back, and waved her hand, making Beatrix and Damon slam into each other at the center of the circle of light. She dropped the Ascendant into their hands. Beatrix tried to let go, but her eyes widened when she realized she couldn’t “Bonnie— no—”

The Ascendant clicked once. “BONNIE!” Damon said. A second click, and then a bright light washed over the two of them. There was no hope for either of them to try and grab Bonnie— she’d spelled them together, likely to make sure neither could grant Kai a hold.

The last thing Beatrix saw was Bonnie, crying with a small smile on her face, before everything faded, along with the sound of Kai’s furious yelling.


	11. Chapter 11

**By the time Beatrix came to, Damon was gone.**

Not that she had been expecting him to stay. That’d be asking him for too much. Especially after Bonnie sacrificed herself to stay with Kai to ensure the two of them got out.

Beatrix no longer wanted to kill her. She just hoped that if Bonnie died in the prison world, she would regenerate too. If not...

She straightened up, smoothing down her sweater. This was it. She was out, and now, all she had to do was get to New Orleans. She glanced down at her hand, seeing the daylight ring was still there. Good. Now, to get to Louisiana.

Beatrix sped out of the woods immediately, heading out as far as she could onto a nearby street. Hopefully, a car would pass by and give her a lift somewhere near an airport. She considered using some sort of magic to facilitate her transport, but she rather liked the idea of doing things the normal way. Pretending to be human.

A red suburban drove up in the moments she was thinking. She extended her hand into the road and held her thumb up.

It drove faster. She frowned, at first, but when she listened in, she heard the voices of several children inside. Busy parent with what sounded like toddlers. She supposed she couldn’t be mad about that.

She remained standing there, awkwardly shifting her weight on her heels. Another car came by in the opposite direction, and this time, it stopped. The man inside the silver truck looked over at her and nodded. “Where you headed?” he asked her.

“The nearest airport,” she said. He gave her an apologetic smile. “That’s back the way I came, hon, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said awkwardly. “Thanks for letting me know. How um, how far is it?”

“Several miles, but I’m sure that someone will stop soon. Sorry I couldn’t help you.”

She nodded and took a step back, allowing him to drive past. Several miles. She supposed hitching a ride wouldn’t be worth it. When the truck disappeared from view, she began to speed in the direction of the red suburban, passing it and continuing in a blur down the road, stopping abruptly in an alleyway when she reached a more populated area. She panted and held her knees. It had been a long time since she’d moved that fast for that long. When she saw Klaus again, he’d make fun of her for being out of shape.

She walked out of the alley casually once she caught her breath, and walked into the street. It seemed more complicated here— she’d need to hail a taxi, or something.

“Excuse me,” she said to a woman who was on her phone at the bus stop. “Does this go near the airport?”

The woman paused, and opened up an app on her phone. She said nothing, zooming in on a few images of what appeared to be a digitalized map. “Not directly, but it stops somewhat near it, from what I can tell.”

“That’s good enough,” she said. “Thank you.”

She dug into her pockets, glad that she could still feel a few quarters. The same pants had been carrying them on the day she and Kai approached Bonnie and Damon at the grocery store.

Another pang in her heart as she thought of Bonnie. Trapped in there with Kai. It was different that Kai and Beatrix were both fairly sadistic or just plain apathetic sometimes. Bonnie was a sweetheart, really, and Kai was going to make her life a living hell.

Perhaps if she heard of the day Bonnie got out, she’d send her chocolates and flowers as a ‘thank you.’

The bus arrived, and Beatrix slowly got inside. She deposited four quarters into the box at the front and went to take a seat. At least buses looked a lot nicer, now. As the ride began, she saw several people with cell phones, typing away. Some made phone calls and took notes, speaking very quietly. She just kept her arms crossed on her lap. 

It dawned on her that she didn’t know how many stops until she reached the airport. So when it stopped the first time after she got on, she stood and went toward the driver. “Excuse me, can you tell me when to get off if I intend to get to the airport?”

The older male nodded kindly. “Of course.”

Even the people seemed nicer. Or perhaps, it was that she was posing as a human and they didn’t know her secret. They’d be scared of her, then.

As the ride went on, she found herself getting increasingly more hungry. She tried not to focus on the beating hearts of everyone who came and went on the bus. She closed her eyes, thinking of what she’d say to Elijah. To Klaus. To Rebekah. She wondered if it was true that Klaus was a father now. Would she meet the mother of his child, and the baby? Was the mother of his child his girlfriend or wife? She doubted that— Klaus wasn’t one to hold an attachment like that. Marcel. She couldn’t wait to see Marcel. He must be so mature now, and Beatrix expected he’d be with Rebekah, if the two were truly in the same city.

She wondered about that, too. The Mikaelsons were in New Orleans. They must have seen Marcel already. Would Marcel have told them he saved Beatrix from the fire? Or would he stay quiet because she had disappeared so long ago and he had no idea if she was still alive?

“This is your stop, honey,” she heard the familiar voice of the elderly bus driver said. Thanking him, she stepped off when the doors opened. Now, to get a bite to eat. She could get to the airport once she wasn’t feeling so famished.

She stopped inside a little cafe. With no money, she felt guilty going in there and compelling her server, but she needed food. It had no customers at the moment— just her luck. Beatrix walked up to the cashier, a burly and very athletic looking teenage boy. Beside him, behind glass, were some bagels and other treats ready to purchase. 

“I don’t have any money,” she said bluntly, making the boy frown. “Um… why are you in here, then?”

“I need food. Actually…” she stared into his eyes. “I think it’d be cheaper if you slit your wrist just a tiny bit and poured some blood into a cup for me. Nothing major. I’ll even give you my blood to heal you. Wouldn’t want you to feel lightheaded.”

The boy nodded and went behind the counter, doing just as he was told. Beatrix looked around quickly, smiling when she saw no other person was there, but frowning when she saw the security cameras. The boy placed the cup on the counter for her— a good four ounces of blood in the cup.

“Darling, you overdid yourself,” she chided, beckoning him to lean over the counter. She bit into her wrist and pushed it into his mouth. He drank, and she then pulled at a napkin to clean his mouth. “Forget I was here, now.”

He nodded, and turned away. She looked up at the cameras. “ _Deleo memoriae_ ,” she muttered, watching as the red light on them stopped blinking. Pleased, she reached over the counter and plucked up a bagel, before planting a lid on her cup and walking out of the store.

She finished her bagel fairly quickly. A bigger meal would have to wait— she didn’t want to steal too much. She was already going to have to rob the airport of hundreds of dollars worth of a plane ticket, and along with the fact that Bonnie had sacrificed herself for her to be out here, she felt too guilty as it was. She then chugged down the four ounces of blood and threw it into a trashcan. She stopped a woman that was jogging beside her.

“Excuse me, what way is the airport, darling?” she said kindly. The woman kept jogging in place and brought out her phone. Did no one know where anything was, anymore?

“Go down ten blocks,” she recited. “Then— left. Should be in sight.”

Vague. But sure. The woman began to jog away, and Beatrix resorted to speeding to a nearby rooftop. Surely, she saw where the airport was, in the distance. Feeling energized, she sped towards it.

When she arrived, she sped inside quickly, finding the nearest worker. “Where can I get a flight to New Orleans?” she asked. The woman pointed her to the upstairs, and Beatrix did as she was told. She was lucky enough to find a flight already boarding, and to be safe, asked one of the flight attendants to find out which seats weren’t taken. She took one of those, sighing pleasantly as she lay back, ready to fall asleep.

By the time she woke up, they were descending in New Orleans. She looked out the window, her chest swelling as she gazed down at her beloved city. She was back. The instant the plane landed, she was out, and heading into the French Quarter. At this point, it didn’t matter whether the witches saw her— she was going to be prepared to take them on. After years practicing darker magic with Kai, they’d be no match for her unless every last one of them was ganging up.

She arrived at the doorstep of the Mikaelson compound not long after. Breathing deeply, she called out. “Hello? Klaus? Elijah? Someone?”

She heard footsteps, and soon, saw a beautiful woman with hazel green eyes walking toward her. “Who are you?” she said immediately, with a fierceness that surprised Beatrix. 

“A friend of Klaus and Elijah,” she said simply. “Where can I find them? Or Rebekah, that’ll be nice too.”

“Klaus just left,” the woman answered. “We’re having a bit of a dilemma with Elijah. If you’re up for helping, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

“Sure, I’ll help. But what’s happened to Elijah?” she asked immediately. She sounded agitated, and the woman stopped. 

“Who are you?” she asked her again. “How do you… know them?”

“If Elijah is in trouble then there’s no time to explain. My name is Beatrix,” she answered.

“Never heard of you,” the woman said bluntly. “But I’m Hayley. Now come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Beatrix asked.

“I need to see someone named Marcel Gerard,” she said. “Do you know him?”

A small smile grew on Beatrix’s face. “Hell yeah, I know him. I practically raised him.”

As they began to walk, Hayley stared at her curiously. “I _have_ heard of you, then,” she mumbled. “But not with the name Beatrix. Elijah calls you Itza.”

She nodded. “That’s my birth name. He was the only person I ever told it to. But I suppose you know, now.”

“He was hallucinating from a werewolf bite when he said it— it’s not his fault. I just— I thought you were dead? He told me a few things.”

“That’s a very long story I’d be needing to explain to many people at once. I’m assuming now Marcel didn’t tell them that we survived. Let me guess, though— you’re the werewolf. The one Klaus got pregnant.”

There was a pained look in her eyes. “Yes. I’m um— a hybrid now.”

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. “Impressive.” She wanted to ask about the baby, but the way that Hayley’s eyes had turned sad made her fear that the baby hadn’t survived. “Me too, technically, but not the same type as you. I’m a witch vampire.”

“Elijah mentioned that. Said they call you Heretics, right?”

“Yeah… dunno who came up with that. Wamp would have been a funny term. Or vitch.”

Hayley snorted, smiling slightly. “Itza is a pretty name. Why don’t you use it?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Beatrix was supposed to be my name for protection. I guess being called Itza would have meant opening up about my past and only Elijah ever knew the full extent of it. Until recently, of course."

By the time they arrived a warehouse type of residence, she and Hayley seemed to be getting along well. Beatrix rather liked her— she was spontaneous and badass and honestly, quite admirable. Klaus had unknowingly picked a very good woman to have been the mother of his child.

As they walked up the stairs, they could hear a conversation taking place. Beatrix smiled when she heard Marcel’s voice.

“Yeah, the humans I know said the same thing. Maybe Klaus is having better luck?”

“No, he's not, which sucks, considering how low the bar is around here,” Hayley announced as she and Beatrix stepped inside. Marcel’s mouth dropped open. “Trix?”

“Hi, Marcel,” she said, grinning.

“You— you’re not one of Esther’s hallucinations, are you?” he asked, taking a slow step forward.

“Wow, Esther is part of the problem?” she said, facing Hayley. “It seems I got out of the prison world just in time.”

When she turned back to face Marcel, he engulfed her in a tight hug, making her smile. “I missed you,” she said, rubbing his back.

“I tried to find you,” he whispered. “No witches could locate you.”

“The Gemini Coven got to me,” she sighed. “Eighteen years stuck in a prison world with a sociopath, can you believe it?”

Hayley cleared her throat. “I really hate to cut the reunion short, but Elijah is missing, and I wanted to ask if you’re up for a rescue mission.”

“Are we going after Elijah?” asked the woman behind Marcel. She sounded eager. Beatrix had been suspecting that Hayley might have caught Elijah's eye, but with this woman in the mix too, it made her feel a small ache in her heart. She expected he'd have moved on long ago, but it still hurt. 

“Nope. That's all Klaus,” said Hayley. “I'm talking about Oliver. Now, he and Elijah were fighting the werewolves together. I've heard that Oliver's been captured and is about to be executed. Now, look— if we can save Oliver, then we might be able to find out where Elijah is.”

Marcel nodded and stepped away from Beatrix. “‘Kay, so what do you want from us?”

“Just a little distraction. Esther's son, Finn, he's the one that's controlling the werewolves. If you can keep him out of the way, I can go get Ollie myself.”

“You can't take on _all_ those wolves by yourself,” said Marcel. “You'll get killed, and then _I'll_ get killed for letting it happen.”

“I’m not going in alone,” sighed Hayley. “I think Beatrix should come with me. And the werewolves may be answering to the witches, but they still have an Alpha. I just have to find him.”

Marcel didn’t look concerned after that. “Good. Let me know how it goes.” He moved to pat Beatrix’s shoulder. “Don’t go get yourself killed. We have to have a proper reunion.”

“Of course, Marcel,” she said, smiling as she followed Hayley out.

“Have you ever been out into the bayou?” asked Hayley.

“Loads of times— I was raised there. Near werewolves and all that. But that was in the late 1600s. Haven’t been back since then, unless you could when I went into the bayou whilst inside the prison world.”

“They trapped you just because of what you are?” 

“Yeah… some covens aren’t too friendly when it comes to witches born like me. Without powers of our own. Only able to take from others. The French Quarter Coven is one of them. If they get word I’m here, then they’ll come after me.”

“Witches aren’t on my good side right now,” said Hayley, looking downward. “They’re um… the reason my daughter was killed.”

Beatrix didn’t know at the time that the baby was still alive. So she frowned, and gave her a saddened look. “I am so sorry about that,” she whispered. “Losing a child is hard. I’ve never really felt that type of pain, but I’ve seen it. It’s difficult. I admire how strong you are, granted that. I wouldn’t have the willpower to go on.”

Hayley half smiled. “Thanks. I um, guess you do have a mother’s perspective, in a way. Marcel doesn’t call you ‘mom’ though.”

“Ha, I made sure he didn’t. I wasn’t wanting to replace his mother. We’re more like siblings, honestly. Mikaelsons without Mikaelson blood.”

“Always and forever,” recited Hayley. 

“Something like that.”

Every passing second made Beatrix admire Hayley more. She was so resilient and smart, tenacious and upfront. She led Beatrix into deep parts of the bayou, walking around like an expert. It made sense that Elijah might have a thing with her, even if Hayley wasn't hinting toward it. Beatrix knew Elijah's type, and both Hayley and the woman with Marcel were fitting into it. 

Suddenly, there was a creak, and Hayley whirled around, catching two arrows in midair that would have hit her and Beatrix in their necks. “Is that your best shot?” taunted Hayley. “You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you're gonna kill a hybrid.”

A man stepped out from behind the trees, pulling a short sword out of its sheath. Beatrix sighed and flicked her wrist, making the sword fly out of his hands and lodge into a tree beside her. “Please, old man, don’t make me kill you,” she said boredly. 

“Stop!” yelled a gruff voice. The three turned around to see a disheveled looking man with dark hair and a dark beard growing wildly around his face. He reminded Beatrix of a lumberjack.

“Jackson?” Hayley gasped. 

“Hayley,” he replied. “I see you met my friend Ansel. Who’s yours?”

Before Hayley could answer, Ansel spoke up. “You know her?” he said, moving closer and nodding to Hayley. 

The man called Jackson half smiled. “Yeah, actually. I do. She was supposed to be my wife.”

Ansel’s mouth turned into a small ‘o.’ “Come on, you two,” Jackson said, beckoning Hayley and Beatrix over. His eyes rested on the Heretic, however. 

“I know, I know, I smell weird,” she said, holding her hands up. “Not just because I haven’t had a chance to get cleaned up. The vampire and witch scent is really weird combination for wolves.”

“How’d you know I was a wolf?” he asked.

“Hayley mentioned you’re the Alpha. Vampires don’t use that terminology, unless that’s changed in the past eighteen years.”

He nodded in agreement, and pulled out a few chairs for them to sit around a fire pit. Ansel took a seat on a log nearby, and began to sharpen his knife.

Hayley took a seat first, followed by Beatrix, and then Jackson. He leaned back in his chair, while Hayley let her body move forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “So what happened?” she asked him. 

Jackson let out a harsh sigh. “Well, after Francesca Guerrera took over the wolves, she offered me a moonlight ring as long as I'd call her Alpha. I declined. So, a couple of her brothers dragged me out here and left me for dead. By the time I healed up, word had spread about what happened to you, and to your baby.”

Hayley looked down, and Beatrix awkwardly clasped her hands together. “So I knew it was over,” Jackson continued, “and I just drifted. And that's when I met Ansel. See, he's been teaching me the old ways, the traditions. What it means to be a wolf.

Hayley scoffed. “You mean by living out in the ass-end of nowhere?” She let out a healthy laugh, which made Beatrix crack a smile, though Ansel seemed unamused. 

“Hey, easy,” said Jackson. “Your kind makes him ornery.”

This made Hayley frown. “My kind? Jack, whatever you and your friend think of me, my kind is the _wolves._ Even if they _did_ pledge allegiance to a witch. All that means is they need an Alpha. Ollie needs one, too.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. The thing is, Ollie _betrayed_ me. He plotted with the Guerreras. He spilled his own people's blood.”

“The Guerreras are still around?” scoffed Beatrix. “They were a pain in the ass.”

“They’re gone now,” Hayley said. “I killed the last one— Francesca Guerrera. And Jackson— Ollie was trying to make up for that.”

“It doesn't matter,” Jackson growled. “Witches have him— he's dead. Not that I care.”

“You don't want to be the Alpha? Fine. I'll save Ollie myself,” she said, getting up. Ansel followed suit, and Hayley snapped her gaze up. “Hey, you got a problem, old man?” 

He shook his head. “I have no love of vampires, but I will not allow a wolf to be killed by witches.” He brushed past Hayley, heading back the way she and Beatrix had come. Happily, Beatrix followed behind, but Ansel ignored her.

“Let me guess, I’m both a vampire and a witch and I’m not on your good side now?” She asked, facing back to make sure Hayley was following.

“Never thought those two could be rolled into one,” he said gruffly. “Clearly I was wrong.”

“I’m just another happy little abomination of nature,” she said with fake cheeriness. “I’ll tolerate you if you tolerate me. Not that I have a problem— I don’t mind werewolves. Never needed to have an altercation with one until the Guerreras.” 

“Tolerate,” Ansel mumbled halfheartedly, as if mocking her. 

Hayley caught up, and the three kept trekking through the woods, silently. Beatrix kept her hands out of her pockets, wanting to be alert. She had to admit though, she was severely out of practice dealing with real problems.

It didn’t surprise her at all that she’d already been dragged into a rescue mission within hours of arriving in the city. This was normal when it came to the Mikaelsons. She didn’t mind it. Knowing Elijah was in trouble was enough to get her to come along without questions.

Hayley’s phone began to ring about halfway out of the bayou. “Tell me you have your Alpha,” came Marcel’s voice.

“He’s out of commission, but I got the next best thing,” she said. “I'm assuming you have a plan to keep Finn occupied? I don’t doubt Beatrix could take him if it came down to that, but we’d prefer there not be a problem.” 

There was only a slight pause before Marcel answered. “Yeah... Yeah, I think I might have an idea.” He then hung up.

“So, what are we dealing with?” Beatrix asked. “Finn… like Finn Mikaelson?”

“Unfortunately,” said Hayley. “He and Esther are back in the bodies of witches. Oh— them and the other brother. Kol.”

Beatrix’s eyes widened. “What? Are you serious?”

Hayley nodded. “Klaus told me yesterday. Rebekah is not in the city, just an FYI. She’s occupied doing some important stuff.”

No offense to Rebekah but her whereabouts no longer mattered. She clutched her chest. “Kol’s alive,” she whispered. “Oh my….”

She definitely didn’t want to kill Bonnie now.

It didn’t take much longer for them to arrive to what Beatrix remembered to be the Lafayette Cemetery. 

“The fog is good,” Hayley whispered. “Think you can keep us concealed, Beatrix?”

“I can make us invisible, darling,” she said, waving her hands. “ _Invisique_. They’re likely still going to sense us though— with a witch backing them up we won’t be concealed from that. They’d find us eventually.”

“Let’s stay invisible until we get to Ollie, then,” said Hayley. They walked in, and she took the lead, heading toward the lycée. 

When they found Ollie, Beatrix winced, seeing the man’s body suspended from the roof via heavy chains.

Hayley ran to him immediately. “Ollie! Ollie, wake up!”

The blond looked up weakly. “The hell are you doing?” he mumbled. “Who the hell are they?”

“We're here to save your ass,” said Hayley. “Please tell me you know where Elijah is?” Ollie shook his head, and Ansel darted to the window. “They’ve sensed us by now. They know we’re here.”

Both Beatrix and Hayley stopped to listen. Sure enough, the sound of wolves jumping around and heading toward the lycée was getting louder. 

Hayley immediately yanked on the chains. “Sorry. No time to be gentle.” Ollie fell to the floor and she picked him up, leaning him onto her. “Let’s go.”

“Just leave me here,” Ollie moaned in pain. “Go!”

“To hell with that!” said Hayley. “They want a fight, I'll _give_ them a fight.”

“No,” said Ansel. “I came with you to save one of my own, not watch as you kill scores of them. Take your friend out the back, move as fast as you can. I'll hold them off here.”

“I’ll help you,” Beatrix offered. “Hayley, I can keep you both invisible until you get out but they’ll know you’re there.” She nodded and left, dragging Ollie with her. Beatrix followed a displeased looking Ansel out, past several crypts, where they were found by a large horde of werewolves.

“I’d prefer you didn’t kill them,” muttered Ansel.

“Okay, I can manage that,” said Beatrix. As the werewolves advanced, she raised her hands. “ _Levi somnum, nunc somnum_.” When she dropped her hands, the majority of the wolves dropped. “The Ancestral magic here is as strong as ever,” she muttered as the remaining wolves collapsed. “It won’t let me take them all out at once. One more time should do it— _Levi somnum, nunc somnum_!” 

The rest of the wolves dropped just as Ansel raised his quiver. “Hmm,” he said, looking down. 

“Yes, you’re welcome,” muttered Beatrix, stopping for a second to take a deep breath. “Bloody hell— I need to get back in shape if I’m going to go against Ancestral magic. Finn was smart to tap into it. The wolves won’t stay down for long— I hope Hayley got Ollie out already.”

“Is there a way you can locate that Elijah fellow?” asked Ansel, looking back at the next horde of wolves approaching. “Not to point out weaknesses, but I don’t know if you can manage doing that spell a few more times.”

“Yes, I can, but I’ll probably need to siphon off of you,” she said. Ansel didn’t understand fully, but offered his hand all the same. She grasped his hand and began to siphon, making him wince. She raised her hand once more. “ _Levi somnum, nunc somnum! Levi somnum, nunc somnum!_ ”

When the rest of the wolves dropped, she let go, and Ansel grunted. “Go find him. I’ll hold off anyone else.”

Beatrix nodded gratefully and sped away to be behind one of the crypts. She could sense there was something in the cemetery, but she just needed to pinpoint which crypt it was in. She gripped the sweater she still had on, the one belonging to Elijah. “ _Permisso visum, visum sanguine conspicio…. Permisso visum, permisso visum, visum sanguine conspicio…_ ”

An image flashed in her mind. Elijah in chains. And she knew just where he was.

“Back in the lycée, of course,” she muttered, speeding back there, catching a glimpse of Ansel fighting off a few wolves with his sword. She stumbled down the steps and sprinted deeper into the structure. A spell concealing him, how clever. “ _Ostende Invisique_.”

She leapt back when the figure of a bloodied Elijah with his shirt torn appeared right in front of her. She looked up to where a voodoo doll was tied and ripped it off of its string, before yanking at the chains. Elijah collapsed in her arms, nearly knocking her down, and letting out a groan.

“Hey,” she whispered, stroking his hair gently. “I’m here… I’m here…”


	12. Chapter 12

**Beatrix had been about to levitate Elijah when Klaus ran in.**

There was a brief moment when all she and her sire could do was stare at each other. Then, his eyes widened, and he stepped back, pointing at her. “No,” he said, his voice shaking. “Esther— that’s quite enough— I’ve had enough of your games and your lies!”

“Klaus,” Beatrix said gently. “Klaus— it’s not an illusion. It’s me!”

“No!” he said. “Let— let him go— you promised me Elijah's safe return.” He turned around, as if speaking to someone that Beatrix couldn’t see. “Or, was that a lie, just like that ghoulish atrocity outside claiming to be my father, back from the dead? Now this? Now her?”

An older woman (who definitely did not look like the Esther Mikaelson that Beatrix had seen in Elijah’s memories) stepped into the lycée, smiling at Klaus, and nodding to Beatrix. “My son,” she said. “Your father's return is real. I pulled him from the Other Side before it collapsed, left him in the Bayou to join the wolves. And, I used the execution of one of his own to draw him here, where I knew he'd find you.”

“To what end?” snarled Klaus. “Besides my torment?”

“I brought him here to be the father you never had,” the woman said softly. “To teach you to be the man you always longed to be. Once you are remade as a werewolf, you can join him.”

“His return changes nothing!” spat Klaus as he stormed toward the woman.

“It changes everything,” she insisted. “It is my gift to you, Niklaus. This offer is your last chance at salvation. Reject me now, and you will live out your endless days unloved and alone. Do not refuse me out of some ancient spite—”

“Not spite! _Hatred._ A pure and perfect hatred that's greater now than the day I first took your life!”

The woman glared between her son and Beatrix, as if expecting the Heretic to say something. “Why, after all I’ve done to explain to you, why must you persist—”

Klaus lunged forward and seized the woman in a choke hold, slamming her head back against the stone wall. “BECAUSE YOU CAME FOR MY CHILD!” he roared. “MY DAUGHTER! YOUR OWN BLOOD!”

“You— don’t— understand,” wheezed the woman.

“MY CHILD!”

“N-Niklaus— I— had to!” She lifted two fingers, making Klaus grunt as his nose started to bleed. Beatrix stood and wove her own fingers, eliciting a cry from the woman as her fingers cracked, and her hand dropped to the side. Klaus didn’t dare look at the Heretic, rather, he gripped the woman’s throat harder, and she whimpered in pain. 

“You declared war when you came after my family,” he sneered in her face. “And, for that, I will make you suffer as only I can.” He smirked, glaring down at her. “After all, I _am_ my mother’s son.”

He dropped her harshly, and went over to Elijah, picking him up and refusing still to look at Beatrix, carrying his brother out of the building.

“Klaus,” she said, following closely behind. “Klaus— I’m not an illusion. I’m really here!”

“You died in the Opera House,” he spat. “Marcel was conscious but you were not. He never— never mentioned you getting out!”

“I’ll explain, I promise, Klaus,” she said desperately. “Just let me—”

He let Elijah’s body fall, and sped toward her, gripping her throat instead and holding her in the air. She choked and squirmed in his grasp, kicking her legs desperately. “P-Please— please—”

“You are not Beatrix La Salle,” he said in a deadly whisper. “Beatrix is dead.”

“I’m not— not—” she gasped, feeling her eyes pool with tears. She managed to grasp onto Klaus’s arm, siphoning in an attempt to weaken his hold.

When she did, his eyes widened and he dropped her, causing her to hit the ground with a loud thump. Immediately, he lunged forward and pulled her back up, grasping her face roughly to stare at it. “Not possible,” he mumbled. “You can’t be…”

She gave him a lopsided smile, still struggling to catch her breath. “Hi, Nik,” she whispered hoarsely.

**_**

When they arrived at the Mikaelson compound, Beatrix and Klaus deposited Elijah on his bed. He was breathing erratically, sweating profusely, and he was rigid as though he was having some sort of terrible dream. 

“Your mother put a curse on him— trapped him in his mind,” said Beatrix as Hayley came into the room. “Let me try and siphon it out.”

She placed her hands on his head, and the two hybrids watched as her hands began to glow in their usual dim honey-colored light. However, she soon leapt back, wincing. “Not going to work,” she said. 

“My turn,” said Klaus. He sat down on a chair beside his brother, looking down with a significant amount of concern in his brows. “I know you are locked in battle… however deep in your mind our mother has set the stage. Hear my voice.” Elijah twitched, but did not wake. “Our mother thinks she will win because she has left you alone, but you are not alone. Let me in.”

He raised his hands and put one on his head, one on his chest, apparently trying to get into his mind. Elijah’s body seized up. “Klaus,” Beatrix said warningly. 

“Let me help end whatever torment she has forced upon you,” Klaus said, ignoring her as he kept trying. With every twitch Elijah gave, more blood began to pour out of Klaus’s nose.

Hayley had clearly had enough. She ripped Klaus off. “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. 

Klaus did not answer immediately. He panted lightly, trying to catch his breath. Beatrix awkwardly held up a cloth to wipe his nose for him. “I'm trying to enter Elijah's thoughts to wake him,” he said. “But Esther’s locked me out.”

Hayley let go of him and moved toward Elijah. “Is this rash a side effect of the witchy acid trip he’s on?” she asked, gesturing to a flower petal-shaped wound on his neck, which neither Klaus or Beatrix had noticed before. 

Klaus frowned and leaned in to examine it. “I haven't seen this since I was a child. Mikael would return home from battle more blindly temperamental than usual, and our mother would use the petals of a rare merlock orchid to put him to sleep. She would mend his mind with a spell, and then wake him with the roots of the same plant….. If she has access to it now, then maybe it also grows in the bayou. Beatrix— stay here with Elijah. Do what you can to ease his pain. Hayley, mind the fort and your wolves.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “I’d rather rip your mother’s head off.”

This made Klaus look almost livid. “Both of you— stay clear of her. Hayley, she already got to you once. What would happen if Elijah were to wake and find you both victims of her madness?”

Hayley stepped back quite reluctantly. “I won’t go after her. I promise.” 

“Good,” said Klaus, glancing at Beatrix before walking out the door. Hayley sat beside Elijah, stroking his hair. “I’ve learned a few things from your mother,” she whispered in his ear. “I won’t go after her. I’ll go after everything that she loves.”

Beatrix shifted awkwardly on the balls of her feet, watching the exchange. It pained her to think that Hayley and Elijah had most certainly had some sort of chemistry. But what did she expect? It’d been ninety three years since Elijah last saw her. 

Hayley left soon after, and Beatrix attempted to siphon a bit more, her hands flat on his chest. A low hum resonated from her lips, trying to focus all the negative energy into herself. After all, her tolerance to it was much much higher than anyone else’s. It seemed it might work, because Elijah stopped twitching, but her hands burned once more, and she was forced to let go.

“I don’t know if you can hear me,” she said, taking his hand normally. “I’d like to think you can. Your mother didn’t know I was still alive. She could have blocked Klaus out, but not me. I really… wouldn’t know. I don’t know if my magic is as good as Esther’s. You wouldn’t be proud to know that I immersed myself into darker magic recently. Being stuck with a sociopath for eighteen years… really does wonders on your brain.”

Elijah, of course, was silent. His lips twitched, and she grabbed another cloth before wiping his sweaty face down. She tenderly slid the rag over the wound on his neck, then pressed her fingers to it, siphoning directly from there. This hurt more, and her hand immediately withdrew itself back. 

“Anyway… I can’t wait to find out what’s been going on with you all lately,” she said. “Someone told me you caused quite a bit of trouble in Mystic Falls. Nice town, for the most part. But when I went, it was empty.” She clasped her hands together. “Um… I became a doctor, you know. I should probably go back to school soon. I was an OB-GYN. I helped babies be born. I didn’t have my magic at the time, so I couldn’t magically heal them. But I was good at it. I saved a lot of mothers and their children. I think you’d have liked to see that side of me.”

She let her knuckles graze down his cheek. “I was remembering, too, the poem I showed you all those years ago. I wonder if you remember it. I never gave it a title…” she traced her finger delicately through his hair, sighing. “You haven’t changed a bit, Elijah. Though… I do recall your hairstyle to have been quite different. Let's see, what else... I haven’t practiced the violin in so long, but I remember the tunes you taught me. I still play piano. The person I was with in the prison world always liked that, even if he wouldn’t admit it.”

She then bit her lip. “I see the way Hayley looks at you. And I wonder… I wonder if you know how lucky you are to have someone like that in your life. She’s brilliant. She’s everything I could have wanted for you and for Klaus. I… I spent so long imagining the day I’d get to be in your arms again. The day I’d get to kiss you once more. But… I don’t think that’s going to happen now. And… that’s okay, even if... if it pains me to lose you. We can start fresh. After all, you and I were friends first. It hurts to think that I might have to temporarily or permanently let you go. She’s better, and if you want her, and she wants you, then you should be together. I sense things are more complicated, but I want the best for you, Elijah.”

After that, she was silent.

It wasn’t until hours later that Klaus came back. By then, Beatrix was fairly exhausted. She had remained by Elijah’s side. Didn’t eat or sleep, even when she heard voices downstairs. Whenever he’d start twitching again, she’d siphon what she could, but it was only weakening her more.

“I have it,” Klaus said. She stood immediately, taking the poultice from him and smearing it quickly on Elijah’s neck.

“He’ll wake soon,” she said, patting Klaus on the back as he sat beside his brother. “Talk to him, ease him out of it. I… I should go clean up.”

“Your old room is still available,” said Klaus. “If… you would like to stay.”

“You’re sure you want me around again?” she said with a more teasing air.

“Well, I’ll need a witch on my side, won’t I?” he said. It sounded like he was teasing as well, but he looked almost ashamed. 

“Are you okay?” she asked him quietly.

“Don’t concern yourself with me,” he said quickly. “Please, go freshen up. Let yourself relax. You look… drained. My… condolences that you were sucked into work right after your arrival.”

Beatrix offered him a small smile and left.

She walked back through the hallways of the house, finding that her room was just as it had been nearly a century ago. Her bed, in the center, messy as she had left it the day they’d gone to the Opera House. Her closet still contained outfits that were in fashion just before the 1920s. Dead plants by the window, and dust over every furniture’s surface.

This was, at least, a simple fix. She wove her hands in a circular motion as she walked around, mumbling quietly and watching as things began to fix themselves. The plants sprang back up, green as ever. The dust vanished, as did the bedsheets. A few more waves, and she’d sealed the cracks on the walls and the ceiling. The mirror was clean again. 

“The clothes, I’ll donate,” she said, going to the closet and quickly realizing that the only things she wanted to preserve were her more elegant dresses. She sorted through other simpler outfits that she could keep for now, until she got herself a wardrobe and money, for starters.

Moments later, she was in her bathtub again, relaxing. She let the bubbles flow around her body and leaned her head back, allowing her hair to get damp. She lay there for what felt like many blissful hours, but it was probably less than forty minutes. She then got up and showered properly, before putting on some of her old clothes. She definitely felt out of place in them. 2012 and her outfit did not mesh well together. 

But she didn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t just rush out to get clothes before going to see Elijah. Therefore, she dried her hair quickly and put her shoes back on before walking out and back to Elijah’s room.

She found him alone. He was buttoning up a dress jacket, and staring at his hands, which appeared to be shaking. He drew a deep breath and covered his hand, putting it down, then wiped his brow and went to sit down on his bed. Slowly, Beatrix opened his door. “‘Lijah?”

He whirled to face her, his eyes wide. “No—” he said quickly, holding his head. “No more— no—”

She sped forward and caught his hands. “Elijah, it’s me. It’s really me. I’m not in your head. I’m real. Here— feel this.” She cupped his cheeks, daring to squeeze them a bit, grazing her fingers under his jaw. 

There was a terrible moment when she thought he was going to throw her across the room. She’d seen that look in his eyes before. Esther had opened up some dark memories and he was dissociating. He was trembling like he was resisting the urge to toss her into oblivion. 

“Darling,” she whispered when he averted his gaze, his hands still shaking. “It’s me. It’s Itza. I’m here. I’m alive.”

_“You mentioned before that you have a different name,” said Elijah one evening when he’d been playing piano while Beatrix flopped on his bed, reading a book. “I wonder, what is it?”_

_A playful smile etched on her face. “Well, it’s Mayan. My mother’s name was more Aztec, but I was her last little connection to the coven she abandoned. More of her… complexion, you know, compared to that of my father. I was born out in the bayou. She used the water to guide her and protect her when she’d given birth to me. She named me Itza, meaning sorceress of water.”_

_“Itza.” The name danced off his lips, and he stood, coming closer to her. “It’s a beautiful name.”_

_“And it’s a secret,” she said when he closed the book for her. “Only you can call me that.”_

_The vulnerability, the truth, it was a strange thing to both but they had found solace in each other. They’d ventured into each other’s memories, exploring the darkest parts of each other because they trusted the other to know the full extent of their past. Beatrix, up to date, was the only person who’d ever been behind the red door with Elijah. Though he shut it quickly and had chosen not to speak of it ever again, there was a great mutual sense of understanding that came when both opened up._

_He had kissed her, that night, for the first time. He’d taken her face gently in his hands and brought his mouth to hers without an ounce of hesitation. They’d embraced and made love and woken in the morning looking giddy and reliving the memory in their heads._

Elijah looked back slowly, before bringing his hands to cup her face. Another frightening instant where his grip tightened as though he might snap her neck or worse— rip her throat out with his teeth. But the shaking subsided, and he moved his hands to her hair, then her neck, down her arms, taking her hands in his and examining them. 

“It’s unreal,” he whispered. “But, how—?”

“That’s a lot to explain and I’d rather only do it once,” she said with a slight laugh. “When Marcel and Hayley return, I’ll tell you all. We’ll have to relay the message to Rebekah eventually, as well.”

He pulled her into his arms, hugging her so tightly she felt she might explode. But she didn’t mind. She trailed her own limbs around his back, rubbing it as she buried her face in his neck. 

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I thought you were dead,” he mumbled. “Kol— he said that you were not. But he had no proof. He just had a hunch. Rebekah and I refused to listen to him, we thought he was just grieving because we had just told him the truth when he was awakened. Klaus did not wish to speak of it. I believe my brother felt guilty.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” she sighed. “He knows that. It wasn’t your fault either. Nor Marcel’s, nor Rebekah’s. I heard Klaus killed Mikael.”

Elijah hesitated to answer. “Yes… he did manage to kill him, but he is back now.”

“What?” she gasped. “No— Esther didn’t bring him back, did she?”

“He came back on his own. I do not know if my mother is yet aware that he is here. He has fled for now, but he will return. I know it.”

“I would have done him away for good, if I hadn’t been trapped,” she sighed. “I had a plan and everything. One of the Bennett witches did him in, apparently.” She then stopped. “Elijah… did you happen to hear anything I said, earlier?”

He winced. “No. It appears I have no recollection of that. I was… indisposed. I apologize.”

Well, shit. It would be harder to tell him everything to his face. Especially if it involved confronting him about whether he and Hayley had had a spark or not.

“It’s alright,” said Beatrix quickly. “It was just a silly little run down of memories. Those should be intact, so there is no need to repeat myself.” 

Elijah did not seem to believe her fully, but did not question it. He pulled away from her, and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it. “It is good to see you, regardless, Itza,” he said gently. “I never thought I’d behold that face again if not in my dreams. I wonder… Marcellus did not tell us he got you out.”

“Likely because I disappeared. He must not have wanted to get your hopes up. I’m just glad that you’re all still alive. I admit I went a little berserk when I heard Kol and Finn were killed, but if they’re back now as witches, there is hope to restore both of them.”

“You’d need to resort to dark arts,” he noted. “That would be unwise.”

“I’m not sure about that. My birthright is black magic— it’s what my mother took in to escape her coven, and she was carrying it inside her when she birthed me. I have never dared to tap into the Ancestral realm that my blood goes to— I wouldn’t even have dared to tap into that of the Lafayette Cemetery. I am not sure I’d like to bring out my heritage much further. But I do suspect, at least, that dark magic won’t harm me as it would other witches.”

Elijah didn’t seem to like this. “The piano key,” he said sternly. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know. It is likely in a thrift store or back on some random piano now. All my belongings from where I was staying were definitely trashed.”

“You’ll be staying here?” he inquired.

“If you’ll allow me to, then yes.”

“You will require a lot,” he stated. “A phone, to communicate. Clothes. Money.”

“I’ll take care of all that, I promise,” she said. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll settle in nicely. I’m sure Marcel will be willing to teach me about this new world. After all, I taught him before.”

There was a cough, and the two looked to see Klaus leaning against a chair. He nodded to Beatrix and faced his brother. “How do you feel?”

“The worst has passed,” said the Original. “Though, I suspect the nightmares are far from over. I can expect Beatrix will be useful there.”

Klaus’s lips curled upward. “Well, gather your strength. After the message I sent Mother tonight, I expect hell-fire to rain upon us imminently.”

Elijah disconnected himself from the Heretic and moved toward Klaus. “We need to make a move before she strikes.”

“Well, actually, moves were made while you were sleeping,” came the voice of Marcel as he and Hayley walked into the room. The hybrid smiled. “It’s good to see you vertical,” she said to Elijah. “Marcel and I each left a gift for you in the ballroom. You’re welcome.”

Elijah gestured Klaus toward the door, and both brothers followed Hayley out. Marcel waited for Beatrix, and tapped her on the shoulder as they went down to the ballroom.

The two figures suspended from the balcony by their wrists featuring what appeared to be enchanted manacles were unfamiliar to Beatrix. But somehow, she knew exactly who they were, especially when the younger male looked down at Klaus. “Kidnapping? That's a rather unpleasant way to begin a family reunion!”

Klaus grinned up at them. “Well, wait until you see how we end it! But first…” he turned to the Heretic and beckoned her to take the open floor in front of them. “You have some explaining to do.”


	13. Chapter 13

**In the morning, Beatrix felt sore.**

She had talked for hours about what’d happened, and it didn’t help that everyone kept asking a million questions. She didn’t blame them for being curious, but sometimes it felt they were asking different variations of the same query. 

Her mattress was quite different than what she was used to. She forgot how stiff she used to keep it. She’d allowed herself much more comfort in the prison world, but now, she had to get a solid diet down again. Just because she couldn’t age or be harmed, didn’t mean she should keep unhealthy habits. 

At breakfast, she was rubbing her lower back as she came down to join the four Mikaelson brothers. She felt a bit out of place, because Marcel was at his residence and Hayley had left early for the bayou. Klaus was at the head of the table, and the other brothers sat near each other. With an awkward wave, she went to sit across from Kol. It was a bit strange to see him with a new face and specifically blue eyes. But through and through, he was her best friend.

“Hey,” she said gently, frowning a bit when she saw he and Finn were still having to wear their manacles. 

“Morning, darling,” said Kol halfheartedly as Klaus leaned forward to address him and Finn.

“Today, a new future awaits,” he said. “Forget your animosity toward Elijah and myself. Instead, join us against she who truly deserves your ire— our mother.”

Kol rolled his eyes, and Finn simply stared at his plate. Neither was amused.

“Do this,” Klaus continued, “and we will welcome you with open arms!”

“Well,” began Kol, reaching for a plate of pastries. But Klaus pulled it out of his way, and the youngest Mikaelson brother rolled his eyes yet again and did not speak. 

Klaus had a wicked smile on his face. “But, if you continue to oppose us, a denial of pastries will be the least of your concerns.”

“Klaus,” said Beatrix a bit sharply as she pushed the plate back to Kol. “Must you really deny them the minimal pleasures of life?”

Klaus narrowed his eyes. “I do not recall asking for your input, Beatrix. You have biases as Kol’s Witchy Friend. That simply won’t do.”

Kol raised his hands. “Nik, if all you wanted was my allegiance against Mother Dearest, you should have said so! Save me a night shackled to the wall.”

“Yes, this was Niklaus,” said Elijah, gesturing to the manacles. “My recommendation was to remove your limbs, one by one, until you comply. Beatrix recommended isolation rooms for a few days.”

“Well, she’s the only one with her head screwed on straight, then,” huffed Kol. “You two are just torturous.”

Klaus let out a laugh and stood, walking over to his brothers and squeezing their shoulders. “We’ve no desire to torture you. Provided you vow to stand beside us as brothers.”

Finn shook himself out of Klaus’s grip immediately. “Brothers... Does that word even apply to us? After all these centuries of betrayal? And, has loyalty to you ever rewarded? If so, tell me, Niklaus— where is our sister, Rebekah? She was blindly loyal to you for a thousand years, and now? Nowhere to be found. Where did our sister go? And, how did she escape your vile machinations?”

Klaus seemed nervous, in Beatrix’s eyes. Clearly, Rebekah was somewhere, doing something, that needed to be kept secret. But he masked the anxiety with a laugh. “You think me vile?” he chuckled. “What, then, do you make of the one who cursed us?”

Finn let out a frustrated growl. “She was trying to make you mortal again!”

Beatrix’s eyes flickered to Elijah, who grabbed a knife off the table as Finn continued. “And you both refused her…” the eldest Mikaelson brother laughed darkly. “It only proves how far you've fallen. But, I expect Rebekah will have a different response to her proposal. See, unlike the two of you, she always did cling to her humanity.

[Elijah](https://vampirediaries.fandom.com/wiki/Elijah_Mikaelson) let out a growl. “Rebekah is off-limits to you. You pursue her, and you will suffer.”

The other brothers looked at Elijah, clearly not having expected such attitude from him. Beatrix quickly put her hand over his, keeping him from raising his knife. “Don’t let them goad you,” she said quickly, thinking something off the top of her head. “Rebekah doesn’t want to be found, because she’s in a place that makes her happy. Esther won’t find her.” She noticed Klaus giving her a curious look, but she did not give indication that she was making anything up. “Your brothers know better than to try and ruin their sister’s happiness.”

“Esther is quite determined,” said Finn sharply. “She's been searching for Rebekah since the day she returned. I imagine it's only a matter of time.”

Elijah then swept free of Beatrix’s grasp and grabbed Finn by the collar, slamming him onto the table before diving his fangs into his neck.

“ELIJAH!” Beatrix snapped as Klaus yanked him off. She ran to Finn and pressed a napkin on his wound, yanking him back into his seat.

“I enjoy a good bloodletting as much as anyone, but our brothers have power, as well as knowledge of Esther's plans,” Klaus said sternly to his older brother. Elijah simply wiped the blood off his face. 

“We need them alive,” Klaus insisted. 

Kol and Finn were occupied making sure the latter wasn’t bleeding out, but when Beatrix heard the others’ voices drop to a whisper, she couldn’t help but listen in. 

“Imagine what they would do to Rebekah,” Elijah was saying. “To Hope.”

_Who the hell was Hope?_

“Rebekah has been cloaked by powerful magic,” Klaus said. “Focus on the task at hand. We need to persuade our brothers.”

“I’m through with persuasion,” said Elijah, beginning to leave. But Klaus grasped him roughly by the shoulder, staring at Elijah with concern. “Has the earth shifted on its axis?” the hybrid inquired. “You needing restraint from me?”

Elijah did not answer, as his phone began to ring. Klaus looked back at Beatrix and cast her a sharp look when he realized she was watching. But rather than push her away, he stopped, listening to Elijah’s call. “Tell her to head west,” Klaus said quickly. “I’ll call Hayley.” He then turned to Beatrix and beckoned her forward. 

“Go,” Elijah told Klaus. “I’ll take care of Kol and Finn.”

Klaus looked annoyed as Beatrix walked up. “Splendid. And, in your hands, I assume they'll be dead by nightfall.”

[Elijah](https://vampirediaries.fandom.com/wiki/Elijah_Mikaelson) gritted his teeth. “I will show restraint. Hope needs her father.”

“What she needs— what we need— are allies to help us defeat our mother. Finn and Kol must be turned to our side. Without their help, there will be nowhere left for Hope to run.

“Niklaus, your child—”

“I have waited months to see my daughter.” He then stopped and gulped. “I can wait one more day. Elijah. Do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” 

“I give you my word,” said the other, heading outside. Klaus then grasped a very confused Beatrix’s shoulder.

“Elijah will tell you everything,” he mumbled. “I want you to go with him. I am not blind. He is unwell.”

“Your baby is alive,” she whispered.

“Yes,” said Klaus. “And there is no one I trust more than you, to look after Elijah and go and retrieve Rebekah and my daughter. Please… keep them safe.”

Beatrix offered him a smile. “I will. Promise.” She then sped out to meet Elijah at his car.

The Original looked up at her, confused. “Itza, what are you—?”

“Klaus asked me to go with you,” she said. “I hear we’re getting a rather special package.”

Elijah seemed like he wanted to ask her to stay behind, but simply beckoned her to get into the passenger’s seat. 

He hardly spoke on the drive. Beatrix felt embarrassed. Did he not want her there? Or was he just worried about letting her into such a huge secret? Was he unsure what to say? Was he perhaps hooked on what she’d said about Kai?

_“You were stuck for eighteen years with the same male?” Klaus had chuckled when they’d retired to the sitting room to keep Kol and Finn curious about the rest of the details. “I wonder why he is not here with you.”_

_“He is still stuck inside,” said Beatrix indifferently. “He’s more dangerous. He has a plan to wipe out an entire coven. And while I don’t oppose that, my agenda revolved around getting back to all of you. Murder can be postponed.”_

_“We’ll have to meet this new beau of yours eventually,” said Klaus, wiggling his eyebrows. “You say he is a powerless witch, much like you were… if you turn him into a Heretic, he may be of great use to us. And we will aid him in killing the Gemini Coven, if he so wishes. After all, they were the reason you were lost.”_

_Beatrix rolled her eyes. “He’s not my ‘beau,’ Klaus. Just an acquaintance.”_

_“Who you slept with,” said Hayley slowly. “That’s what I’ve gathered, at least.”_

_“It was a purely sexual relationship. Neither of us could ever harbor feelings for the other. A mutual grudging respect, then yes.”_

_Elijah’s lips twitched a bit, and Beatrix looked down. She wondered what he must be thinking. Would he perhaps be jealous? Maybe relieved thinking he could move on?_

_“If you see him when he gets out, what will happen?” inquired Klaus, clearly very curious. “Would you continue to… ah… alleviate each other’s needs?”_

_Beatrix scrunched her nose up. “Not likely, no. I don’t think that same attraction will take place when there are so many others to choose from.”_

_Klaus leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “Humans aren’t satisfactory enough, are they?”_

_Hayley cast him a sharp look. “Klaus, you’re disgusting.”_

_He threw his hands in the air and leaned back again, still smirking wickedly. “Don’t be a pessimist, little wolf. Beatrix never minded having such intimate conversations before.”_

_Marcel groaned at this, covering his eyes. “Please don’t remind me about that.”_

_“What?” said Hayley, raising her eyebrows._

_Klaus looked amused as ever. “When Marcellus was sneaking about with Rebekah, they used Beatrix here to distract me, and she played the part quite well. One night, very late, were having a very…_ detailed _discussion about how she—”_

_At this, Marcel groaned and Hayley let out a loud “No— no— no—!” to stop Klaus from continuing. Beatrix smacked Klaus, who just laughed maliciously, enjoying their reactions. The Heretic had glanced over at Elijah, who was either completely zoned out, or angry at them._

_“I think that’s enough about my time in the prison world,” said Beatrix hurriedly, standing and kicking Klaus in the shins as she left the room. The hybrid debated kicking her down the hallway, but decided against it._

“Are you feeling alright?” Beatrix dared to ask after Elijah continued to ignore her.

The Original glanced her way, then back to the road. “Yes. I just want to stay focused while driving. You saw my hands shaky yesterday. I don’t want to cause an accident.”

“Oh.” Beatrix blushed, embarrassed. Maybe she was just overthinking everything.

They arrived at a diner, and Elijah parked the car before leading her inside. “Choose a booth,” he said simply as he opened the door for her. She nodded and slipped in, sitting near a man who was at the bar. She slid into the seat and Elijah slid down across from her. 

The waitress came up and smiled kindly at them. “What’ll it be, you two?”

“A coffee for me, please,” said Elijah with a kind smile. 

“Do you have orange juice, by any chance?” Beatrix asked. The waitress nodded and left, returning soon with a mug of coffee and a mug of orange juice. 

“Thank you,” said Beatrix, taking a sip when the waitress departed once more. She watched Elijah drink from his coffee, still apparently deep in thought. Was he zoning out again? She wondered if perhaps he was still having visions, or having auditory hallucinations.

“Elijah?” she asked quietly. He looked up. “Yes, Itza?”

“Please don’t lie,” she said. “How are you really feeling?”

“I feel fine,” he responded. “Tired. But I suppose after yesterday, that is expected.”

Beatrix nodded. She wasn’t sure she believed him, but Elijah never lied to her about how he actually felt. So maybe she was just looking too deep into it?

Shifting awkwardly, she heard Elijah’s phone begin to ring. He looked down at it and smiled, as if he planned to answer. But then, he looked up at the man at the bar, who had turned to glance at them. Elijah frowned, and he let the call go to voicemail.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said simply, drinking from his coffee again. When he put the mug back down, it was nearly empty. 

“Is there anything in particular you would like to discuss?” asked Beatrix. She wanted more than anything to talk about them. About what their relationship would be from now on. But she didn’t want to bring it up unless he wanted to discuss it. They were meant to be waiting on Rebekah and Hope, and adding extra stress to his plate was not her intention.

“How did you sleep?”

She felt almost crestfallen. “I slept badly, honestly,” she replied. “Stiff mattress. I was used to lumpier and softer ones in the prison world. It’ll just take some adjusting.”

“I assume you have found everything else to be accommodating? I believe Niklaus was planning to have clothes delivered for you today. Perhaps it may be why he wanted to send you here.”

Beatrix gave a slow assent. “Um, that’s kind of him. I’ll be sure to thank him when we see him again.”

The waitress came by again. She had a pot of coffee to give Elijah a refill, but he stopped her before she could pour. “Tell me,” he said, looking into the woman’s eyes in an effort to compel her. “Has there been anyone out of the ordinary today?”

“Just you two,” said the woman on command. Elijah seemed pleased, and nudged his mug toward her. She began to pour, but spilled some coffee on his sleeve. 

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she blurted out, cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. “Let me—”

“It’s quite alright, thank you,” said Elijah quickly, though his jaw twitched like he was holding himself back from snapping. 

The waitress darted away, and Elijah began to dab harshly at the stain with his napkin. Beatrix watched, her face going pale when he kept scrubbing more aggressively. He looked furious. 

“Elijah?” Beatrix said, trying to stay calm. “I can get that for you.”

“No,” he said sharply as he kept dabbing. He looked up at her. “Please, Itza, I don’t need to be babied. Why don’t you go spend some time looking for clothes of your own? I will call you when Rebekah arrives.”

“I don’t have a phone,” she said, blinking a bit nervously at him. 

“Well, go and get one,” he grunted. “Go on.”

Beatrix had never before backed away from Elijah, but this time, she didn’t feel eager to test him. She hadn’t seen him in so long. She didn’t know how he had changed. If he was more abrasive. She quickly slipped out, wringing her hands together. 

Hours passed. She went to a bank. Got a bank account set up, and had them put some money until she could get some of her own to pay them back. She stopped at a few thrift stores before going to a big of a nicer store down a few blocks. She grabbed a pastry along the way, and some blood from a very kind teenage girl that was bored out of her mind at the store. She got a phone, and assumed it would be suitable. She was unsure how to really use it, but hoped that Hayley might teach her when they got back.

It was dark when she returned, and she found Elijah at the same booth, except the diner was now empty. 

“Ah, Itza, you’re back,” said Elijah, looking much happier. “Rebekah should be here soon. I trust you found what you needed?”

“Yes,” she said as she sat down. “Where is everyone?”

“I compelled them to leave and close early. Didn’t want anyone here when Rebekah arrived. No prying eyes.”

Beatrix nodded slowly, holding her bags close. She cleared her throat a bit awkwardly. What to say? They could have a more intimate conversation, but Elijah did not look to be in the mood for that. Beatrix wanted to get him talking about Hayley, about their relationship, but it would be difficult coming to terms with the truth if it implied she was losing him. Either way, she was a bit afraid to ask him anything.

It wasn’t long after when the door opened behind them. Beatrix stood and turned, seeing Rebekah Mikaelson entering the diner with a baby carrier holding the most adorable little girl.

“Trix,” Rebekah said, a wide smile on her face. “Nik told me you were back…”

“He did?” she asked, grinning as she went to hug her friend. “Oh, Bex, I missed you. You look amazing.”

“So do you,” she said, looking her up and down. She then turned to Elijah, hugging him tightly. She set the baby carrier on the table, and Elijah smiled, picking the baby up and cradling her. “Look at you, so big. So perfect. I can't imagine the joy of spending every day with her. It’s…”

“...Quite lovely,” finished Rebekah. “It feels so human.”

“Yes... some would argue the most human of experiences,” said Elijah before turning to hand the baby to Beatrix. “Beatrix, this is Hope.”

The Heretic very gently took the little girl and sighed, caressing her face as the infant looked up at her curiously. “I can’t believe Klaus managed to make such a pretty baby,” she whispered, smiling down at Hope. “This was all Hayley, I bet…” she gestured to the face. “But the eyes are all him.”

Rebekah nodded, smiling as she leaned onto Beatrix’s shoulder to look down at her niece. She then sighed. “I know I have to give her back to Hayley when the time is right. But, she's made me realize how much I want that child of my own... that I know I can't have.”

Beatrix kept rocking the baby gently. “You might be able to,” she said slowly. “In time. I haven’t gotten back into the medical field yet but I imagine that science has progressed a lot. With the help of a witch like me, or maybe a whole coven for safety, it could be possible in the future. I believe it.”

Elijah nodded. “Having children of our own… It's a lovely dream. Unfortunately…” he cast a glance at Beatrix, “it's one that's just beyond our reach… for now... considering the curse of our existence.”

Rebekah winced. “Seems Esther's attacking with her usual fervor.”

“Yes,” said Elijah. “Mother tortured me for days with memories I thought I'd buried long ago.” He licked his lips nervously, glancing yet again at Beatrix before continuing. “Then, she made an offer... to make us all mortal again. You see, sister, Mother believes that by placing us in new bodies, we can then reclaim some kind of... purity. We can begin families of our own again. And, I have to confess, Rebekah... this invitation, however cruel in delivery, had a certain... appeal.”

Rebekah gave him a sympathetic gaze and took Elijah’s hand. But her gaze fixated down on a smear of blood that Beatrix had only just noticed on his sleeve, where the waitress had spilled the coffee. The two women shared a look, and Elijah noticed this, but seemed to think their concern lay elsewhere.

“Neither of you need worry,” he said pleasantly, looking down at Hope. “We’re safe.”

The Original sister offered him a fake smile, licking her lips before looking at Beatrix as if to say ‘ _We need to talk. Now_.’ “Looks like this little one needs her diaper changed!” she said. “Accompany me, Trix, so I can show you how diapers look nowadays. They’re strange but darling little things.”

Beatrix followed her, and as they walked, they caught sight of blood on the countertop, previously concealed by a chair. Further down, blood on the kitchen door. Inside, they found dozens of dead bodies, while the waitress from before washed the dishes calmly. Rebekah immediately shielded Hope’s face, and her eyes widened. 

“Holy crap,” Beatrix whispered. “He— he made me leave, for hours. He must have…”

“I will change her diaper,” Rebekah said a bit shakily. “P-Please do something to clean this up.”

She dashed past into a room behind, and Beatrix winced as she looked down at the bodies. She began to wave her hands around the room. It pained her to think that these innocent people had been slaughtered, all because Elijah was having trouble fighting off the after effects of Esther’s curse.

The bodies vanished, as did the blood. She had dispersed them around the city in hopes to spread the victims out and not draw attention to it being a mass murder. There was nothing more that she thought to even do. 

Rebekah came out of the bathroom and pulled at Beatrix’s arm. “Knock him out,” she whispered. “Please.”

As they walked back to the table, Beatrix quickly flicked her hand, and Elijah’s neck cracked, putting him to sleep. She came to his body, and yanked him up, putting two fingers on his forehead to keep him asleep for awhile. 

Rebekah immediately began to dial a number on her phone.

“Where have you been?” came the annoyed voice of Klaus. 

“Nik, it's me,” said Rebekah. “Something's wrong. Elijah slaughtered a dozen people, whose only sin was their terrible taste in food. I mean, when have you known him to kill when he could otherwise compel? It's the kind of act that will draw our mother's attention. Beatrix has taken care of it for now, but…”

Klaus let out a harsh sight. “Her torture must have affected him more deeply than I'd realized. Where is he now?”

“I asked Beatrix to break his neck to keep the baby safe, but I have no clue what to do next.”

“Do you recall where we dined the Christmas after we fled Mikael?” asked the hybrid.

“Of course—”

“Go there. Now. All of you. Have Beatrix add some spells to the place.” He then hung up, and Rebekah gave a nod. “Let’s abandon my car here. I expect you won’t mind sitting in the back with Hope?”

Beatrix smiled down at the little girl, who gave a small giggle. “Not at all.”


	14. Chapter 14

**By the time Elijah woke up, Beatrix and Hope had become fast friends.**

She could hear Rebekah and Elijah’s conversation in the other room, but she was not paying attention. Currently, she was on the floor with a quilt laid out. She’d moved the furniture away for safety, and had conjured up several fun toys for the baby, who was rolling happily around on the quilt and picking things up, observing them and enthusiastically babbling about them.

“That’s right,” said Beatrix, handing her a little yarn doll. “She’s like you! She’s tiny but so pretty, and very firm. Strong, like you!”

Hope didn’t respond, of course, but she let out a soft squeal and took the doll, shaking her gently. 

Rebekah then came into the room. “Come on, girls, let’s go outside,” she chirped. “Elijah could use some love from this sweet little girl. He feels quite patronized.”

“I could try and siphon some of the hex away,” said Beatrix as she scooped Hope up and handed her to Rebekah. “I don’t know if he wants me anywhere near him, though. There’s… a lot of tension there.”

Rebekah gave her a sympathetic look, and cradled Hope close as they went outside. “I was thinking about setting up for a bonfire. You remember those, right, Beatrix?”

“I remember Kol and I would write the silliest wishes to see if they might come true,” she said. They exited out onto the back porch, and Rebekah lowered the baby into Elijah’s waiting arms. Beatrix did not look down at him, rather, kept walking to where she could see Rebekah had already made a space for the bonfire preparations. Beatrix went closer and waved her hands over the space, allowing some pieces of wood to gather on their own.

“Look at that,” she heard Elijah saying to Hope. “Your aunt Beatrix is doing magic. You will probably be able to do magic like that, someday.”

Beatrix didn’t turn to face them. She continued until the longer pieces of wood had joined into a cone, the peak reaching just around her nose. She then perked up, catching some sound. “They’re here,” she announced. She slowly brought one of her hands up, parting a piece of the veil she’d placed up around the house to keep Hope safe. The SUV that contained Klaus and Hayley sped through it, and she lowered her hands once more to conceal the house. Before Klaus could put the car in park, Hayley rushed out and sprinted toward Elijah and Hope. Klaus got out more leisurely, smiling as Hayley took their daughter in her arms, hugging her tightly and breathing out a sign of relief. She turned as Klaus caught up, and handed him the baby. He held her tenderly, before pressing a gentle kiss on her head. 

It warmed Beatrix’s heart to see Klaus as a father. He was gentle— much more so than when they were raising Marcel. He held Hope as if he was afraid he might break her. However, she soon fixated her eyes on Hayley, who was glancing back at Elijah. They smiled at each other. Beatrix knew that look. She and Elijah had shared it many years ago before they had officially become a couple.

Klaus seemed to have taken notice of this, and handed Hope back to Hayley. He put his hand on Beatrix’s shoulder. “I was hoping to run something by you. We have had the most… interesting revelation with Finn. There appears to be some sort of curse on the first borns of the Mikaelson line.”

Rebekah blinked at this, looking confused. “Curse on the first-born? What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”

Klaus tucked his hands in his pockets. “Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague. She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson first-borns for eternity.”

“Well, is any of it true?” asked Hayley, seemingly clutching Hope a bit tighter. 

“It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth— our mother,” mused Elijah. 

Rebekah gave a light scoff. “Well, no wonder Finn hates us. He lost the sister he adored, and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull.”

“Great,” said Hayley sarcastically. “So, is there any chance of us running into your loony aunt Dahlia any time soon?”

“The fable's over a thousand years old,” said Elijah reassuringly. “Dahlia is long dead.”

“...Like Esther?” questioned Hayley. 

“No one's going to hurt Hope, because no one's going to find her,” said Klaus. “Beatrix, what do you make of this?”

“I have heard of Dahlia, but I never knew she was your aunt,” she murmured. “There are rumors here and there. It’s been a very long time since anyone has seen her, though. Wherever she is, she isn’t showing her face. I advise caution. This may be true. But with all the spells and such protecting Hope… I don’t think we should worry immediately. However, if Dahlia is as powerful as they say… we should be very careful.”

Clearly, none of the siblings had been expecting her to confirm that what Finn was saying could be true. “I could always search his mind,” said Beatrix awkwardly. “See if he’s telling the truth.”

“No, we needn’t properly introduce you to Finn,” said Klaus with a small smirk. “He might bloody well take a fancy to you and then where shall we be?”

Rebekah let out a laugh as Beatrix covered her face. “Shut up, Klaus.” The Original sister then smiled at her brothers. “Well, Trix got the bonfire set up! We’re just missing a key ingredient.”

Klaus sighed loudly. “No, we are not.”

“Yes, we are, Nik!” Rebekah insisted. “Back me up, Elijah!”

Elijah laughed. “I suspect Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes.”

Hayley raised her eyebrows. “What are you all talking about?”

“Well, before we light it, we write down our wishes for each other to burn for luck!” explained Rebekah. “It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids!”

“It's further evidence as to why we should ignore it!” said Klaus.

“Aw, don’t be so mean to Kol,” said Beatrix, nudging the hybrid hard in the ribs. Klaus made a face, before Hayley clapped Hope’s hands together. “Hope's first bonfire season. I like it! We're doing it!” She then rushed into the house, and Rebekah gave her brothers a smug grin. 

“I’ll just go and tidy up a bit inside,” said Beatrix, glancing at the three siblings before deciding to depart. 

She felt awkward. Out of place. This felt so strange to her. She began to clean up in the room where she had been with Hope, trying to force herself not to listen in to any of the conversations happening in the house. She could hear one between Klaus and Hayley, another between Rebekah and Elijah. Gritting her teeth she went upstairs, going into the bathroom and closing the door. She sank to the ground and covered her ears, trying to halt her breathing.

Overwhelmed. That would describe her perfectly.

She hadn’t realized until now that she felt completely and utterly bombarded. Eighteen years with only Kai as a companion. No longer used to the annoying humans that milled around, not used to the Mikaelson drama anymore. She had thought things would go back to normal right away, and they essentially had— she’d been dragged right back into an issue that needed solving. But she hadn’t taken time to realize that she had needed to be eased in, not thrown in. This was too much too soon.

She had never taken time to assess how she felt before. But in the prison world there was not much else to do. So she had been in tune with her emotions again. This felt like the first instant she had a break since she was back, and it was too much. She wanted to rest for a few days, but she couldn’t.

And Elijah. Hayley. The way they looked at each other. Beatrix felt embarrassed for having expected that she and Elijah would just come back together seamlessly. She was an idiot for having such expectations. It was purely absurd. 

She began to hyperventilate, clutching her chest tightly. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She felt pain, humiliation, and she was beyond tired already. She let out a quiet sob and a whimper, letting her head rest back on the wall. She could hardly put into words what she was actually feeling, but she just knew that this might make her feel better. 

There was a knock on the door and she quickly covered her mouth to not make a sound.

“I know you’re in there, Beatrix,” came Klaus’s voice. “I am not deaf.”

Fuck. She should have cast a spell to keep the others from hearing her. 

He opened the door without asking for permission, and she quickly covered her face, shaking her head as she buried it in her knees. “Go away, Klaus,” she mumbled. 

“It’s a little difficult to concentrate on my daughter when I can hear your ragged breathing over my head,” he said simply. 

“I am really not in the mood to talk right now,” she insisted, hoping he would go away. 

But she felt something nudge her arm. She looked up and saw Klaus kneeling in front of her, holding Hope. The baby cooed as Beatrix quickly wiped her eyes and took her, cradling her and swallowing back a sob.

“You and Elijah are not so different right now,” Klaus said quietly. “While his problems lie in the wake of our Mother’s scheming… yours are rooted to an entire two covens that sought to rid themselves of you. I do not pretend to understand what you felt. Dormant for decades, awoken briefly, just to be tossed into a repetitive world with only one other person. Doesn't sound pleasant at all.”

Beatrix sniffled as she caressed Hope’s face. “You’re more sympathetic now that you’re a father, I see,” she whispered shakily. “Setting a good example for your daughter…”

“She will not remember this,” mused Klaus. “But perhaps she can inherently learn that being strong does not mean that one does not come crashing down at times.” He tugged at a cloth resting beside the sink and handed it to her. With her free hand, she dried her eyes quickly, sniffling unsteadily as she looked back down at Hope, who was oblivious as ever and just wanting to be held.

“She’s so perfect, Klaus,” she whispered. “She’s going to soften you, you’ll see. And I don’t mean it in a bad way."

Klaus smiled. “I’m sure she will. Besides, this is nothing new. You have seen me this way before. I always did have a soft spot for you, Beatrix.”

“Only because you sired me,” she said a bit dryly. “You felt responsible. And maybe also because I was always at your beck and call, doing spells for you. You felt obligated to be kind.”

He shrugged. “I am grateful, as any other person would be. You forget that just because I do not open up as my brother do, does not mean that you and I were not very close friends.” He paused to look at his daughter briefly, her blue eyes blinking as she reached a hand up to try and pull Beatrix’s hair. “The last time I was a father, you were the one who made sure I remembered that children needed less abrasiveness from a parental figure. I remember the gentle words you would whisper to Marcel on nights when he felt powerless. The way you'd tell him that I cared a lot about him even if I showed it in very distinct ways.”

She half smiled. “So does that make Hope and Marcel half-siblings?”

“If you would like to consider them so. I suppose that would make the witch Davina your granddaughter, or niece, since Marcel practically treats her as his child. You will meet her soon.”

Beatrix let out a soft laugh and handed Hope back to Klaus before standing up. “Don’t say anything to Elijah about me, please,” she said. “I don’t think either of us are ready for a discussion.”

Klaus didn’t seem to mind doing her that favor. He took his daughter and went back downstairs. Beatrix allowed herself a few minutes to fix her face in the mirror before following him down. 

She found Klaus, Hope, Hayley, and Elijah outside, gathering around the branches. Rebekah ran out behind Beatrix holding up a Polaroid camera. “Hey! Look what I found! I wonder if it will work.”

Elijah and Klaus groaned. The hybrid turned away, hands on his hips. “Oh, bloody hell.”

“Looks like you’re striking a pose, Klaus,” teased Beatrix. 

“Come on, let's try it!” said Rebekah excitedly. “Hey, Nik, do you think you can cram us all into a selfie?”

Elijah smirked. “Oh, Niklaus is a virtuoso at cramming his siblings into confined spaces.”

Klaus threw his hands in the air. “Well, I'm just glad I traveled hundreds of miles to visit my mentally ill brother, only to have him insult me to my face!”

“I can take the picture, don’t worry,” said Beatrix quickly, snatching the camera from Rebekah. “Get in there.”

The siblings, Hayley, and Hope crammed together, all smiling except for Klaus, who was blank faced. Beatrix captured the picture and the polaroid shot out. She waved her hand over it to speed up its development, and turned it to show it to them. 

“Aw, see?” said Rebekah. “I wish that it could always be like this.”

“If wishes were horses…” Elijah began. “...Beggars would ride,” finished Klaus. He then sighed loudly. “You realize we'll have to burn it. You want me to make a wish for the family, Rebekah? I wish it didn't have to be like this. But, it does. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands.”

“You don’t need to do that,” said Beatrix as Klaus handed the photograph to Hayley. “I can vanish it.”

“Vanish it?” inquired Hayley. “What do you mean?”

“I can do a spell that’ll make it disappear from existence. Only I will ever be able to pull it out of that realm of nonbeing. That way, it still technically exists. When it is safe, I can pull it out so you have a memory, at least.”

Hayley looked up at Klaus, a smile on her face. “I like that better.” She handed the photo to Beatrix. The Heretic held it in her hands and concentrated, making it disappear. 

Rebekah gave her a dejected look. “It _shouldn’t_ have to be like this. This isn't right. We deserve this. We've earned this!” She looked up at the others, a wistful look in her eyes. “I won’t let it slip away. I know what to do to stop Esther.”

Elijah tensed. “Rebekah, no—”

“I'm going to take her deal,” said the blonde. “And, when I do, I'm taking her down with me.”

Hayley gave a wince and held Hope tighter. “But Rebekah—”

“No, it has to be done,” she said firmly. “Come, I’ll talk you through it. Trix, please back me up.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” said the Heretic. “So many things can go wrong.”

Hayley nodded in agreement. “Please… think this through. I’ll be on the porch feeding Hope…”

She left, and the Mikaelson siblings shared a look before going into the parlor. “It’ll work,” Rebekah said confidently. “She will be distracted during the spell. She'll be vulnerable.”

“No,” said Klaus. “If we kill her, she body-jumps.”

“Then stop her from jumping!” Rebekah said. 

Klaus rolled his eyes. “If I knew how to bloody stop her from jumping, don't you think I would have happily murdered her ages ago?”

“Well, ages ago, you didn't have a Harvest girl or a Mikaelson witch. Kol knows all of her tricks. Besides, with Trix helping them, their power will be much greater than Esther’s!”

Elijah scoffed. “Now you’re both insane.” 

“Hardly, Elijah— it was your idea!” said Rebekah. “You're the one who said she needed a win, and if we get this right, then she'll have one.”

The elder Mikaelson gritted his teeth, looking visibly concerned. “And if we get it wrong, you're no longer in your own body!”

“Would that be the worst thing? You were ready to do it yourself.”

Beatrix and Klaus both snapped their heads to look over at Elijah, whose jaw twitched. “It was a foolish moment, and one that you sagely dissuaded me from.”

Rebekah shrugged, trying to remain indifferent. “Hopefully, we'll get lucky and stop the spell before I jump.”

“And, if we're not, you'll get what you always wanted,” said Klaus a bit harshly. Rebekah gave a nervous swallow, and the hybrid narrowed his eyes at her. “I mean, that's what you're saying, isn't it? You're willing to lose.”

Rebekah nodded slowly. “I'm willing to risk losing, yes.”

Klaus sighed loudly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well, we need to find someone for her to jump into. Someone anonymous. Someone who could disappear with Hope.”

“That shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” said Beatrix. “I can transfigure her face to look different all the time, if you so wish. I can make it so she can constantly choose who sees her face consistently. I can do more cloaking spells this time, I can—”

“Think about this, Rebekah,” interrupted Elijah. “We’ve been together for centuries. If you were human—”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “When I'm old and wrinkly, you can dump me back into my old body. Nik already has a coffin he can store me in.”

Elijah crossed his arms, glaring at his sister. “But to trust Kol?”

“I can monitor it, Elijah,” said Beatrix impatiently. “I can do my best to make sure Kol doesn’t try anything.”

“Either way, it’s not about trust, Elijah!” said Rebekah. “It's about finding the proper leverage.”

Klaus nodded. “She's right. Kol will do what's best for Kol— we just have to meet his price.” He looked over at Beatrix. “You can make sure he adheres to it.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Marcel’s number. 

Rebekah, seemingly pleased, walked off triumphantly to the kitchen. Elijah and Beatrix shared a tense look, but neither said anything. When she realized he wasn’t going to speak, the Heretic turned on her heel and followed Rebekah out of the room. 

_She had lost him…_

Later in the evening when the details had been sorted out, they prepared to leave. Hayley and Hope would stay behind with Elijah. Rebekah and Beatrix would accompany Klaus back to New Orleans. 

“So what did you arrange with Kol?” asked Beatrix as she curled up in the backseat of the SUV. Klaus was driving, and Rebekah was riding shotgun. 

“He wants the paragon diamond,” said Klaus. Rebekah let out a snort. 

“You are mad to give Kol that diamond,” she huffed. 

“Our little brother has been plotting against me for years, and he hasn't got a lick of it right,” said Klaus. “I'll take my chances. I should be right to assume that Beatrix isn’t going to be helping him anymore, yes?”

“You almost killed me because of that bloody diamond,” said Beatrix, rolling her eyes. “And besides, you’re a father now. I’ve no desire to dagger you.”

Klaus let out a chuckle. “Ah yes, I remember that night…”

_Kol and Beatrix thought they’d done it. They thought Rebekah was not going to tell Klaus what they were up to. Beatrix was still searching for the diamond and her piano key when she heard Klaus giving his toast._

_“As you know, when the Mikaelsons arrived in Louisiana, we brought with us the tradition of holiday bonfire season,” Klaus was saying distantly as she rummaged like mad around his room. She couldn’t find the stupid bloody diamond. “Now, we invite you chosen few to join us in our family's own tradition of writing wishes for each other and burning them for luck. The holidays are a time for celebrating family, and friends.”_

_She tore through the cabinets, tossing clothes everywhere. It had to be in there! But now it was not. Where the hell had he hidden it? She tried to switch gears— find the piano key first, instead. She could get her magic back and locate the diamond like that…_

_“It is especially gratifying in times when treachery runs deep. To know you have someone you can trust. A toast, to you, my sister.”_

_She froze. Rebekah. She heard the guests’ muffled toast to her, and her body went rigid. She told. She bloody told. She sped out of the room, making her way to the staircase. She caught a glimpse of Kol running her way, but suddenly, Elijah was between them. He grabbed Kol and yanked his jacket off, holding him near the balcony as Klaus joined him._

_“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Klaus. “I apologize for the disturbance! But, what's a Mikaelson party without a little squabble?” He pulled out one of the daggers and stabbed it into Kol’s heart. Beatrix gave out a loud gasp and ran forward as her best friend’s body went limp. Before she could drop down and try and pull the dagger out, Klaus caught her by the shoulders and shoved her back into the wall, thrusting his hand into her chest and making her let out a soft cry as he closed his fist around her heart. She no longer had her magic— just days before, Elijah had forced her to put it away in the piano key, having grasped her heart in a similar manner to make her do so._

_Beatrix had let out a choking noise, and a whimper, her eyes tearing up. It caused a flicker of hesitation in Klaus, and he did not immediately yank the beating organ of fire out of her. She swallowed hard and let her mind go blank, thinking that she should just let herself go… it would hurt less that way…_

_And then Elijah had ripped Klaus off of her, making her gasp and stagger back, her hand over the bloody, ripped patch of her dress. She looked up as Klaus stared at her, wide eyed, almost looking horrified at what he’d tried to do to her. Elijah came to her side, but she backed away, glaring at him._

_“Get away from me,” she whispered, her eyes dark with fury. “GET AWAY!”_

“You almost killed me,” repeated Beatrix. “Then Elijah and I started having problems.” She refrained looking at Rebekah, who had gone inexplicably quiet. 

Klaus simply kept silent for a bit, then looked over at his sister. “Do you know what to do?”

Rebekah drew a deep breath. “Yes. But, if it doesn't go to plan, will you handle my body with care, please? I may miss the old model.”

“If everything goes south, we’ll be there to pull you out. We just have to take Esther down before she body-jumps. I don't want all of this to have been for nothing.”

Rebekah half smiled. “The three of us on the same team. It must be Christmas.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Their arrival to New Orleans put the plan in motion.**

Beatrix cast a preliminary spell over Rebekah while Klaus checked in with Kol, Marcel, and Davina, who Beatrix was eager to meet. They then drove to Lafayette Cemetery, having Rebekah go in first, alone. 

At first, Klaus and Beatrix simply waited in the car. The Heretic had climbed into the passenger’s seat and leaned back against the door, tucking her legs up into the seat and remaining fairly quiet. She noticed the hybrid glancing at her every now and then, but she did not speak until he let out a loud huff.

“Yes?” she asked, looking back up at him.

“There is something on your mind,” he noticed, raising an eyebrow and half smirking as if he had solved a complex puzzle. “I know you, Beatrix. You cannot keep that mouth of yours shut unless your life depends on it.”

She debated between denying it, but there was no point. All she felt was pain. Once, long ago, Klaus had been her outlet, as she had been his. Between heated moments of passion where they’d sought to forget everything but bliss, words had passed to keep them both from losing their minds, because there was a time when they could only be open with each other. Therefore, she straightened up and let out a soft sigh. “What is there between Hayley and Elijah?” she asked quietly. 

Klaus laced his fingers together, pausing a bit, perhaps to listen if Rebekah was in danger. He then turned to Beatrix. “They did have a fancy with each other,” he stated. “I am not sure they ever acted upon it. But there are feelings. I am aware of that.”

She slowly nodded her head. “Okay,” she said quietly. “So I was not wrong in that.”

“He will be better soon,” murmured Klaus, leaning his own head back. “I know my brother is not in his right mind. Perhaps at the moment he does not remember you the same.”

“The last thing I want to do is break them apart if they developed a romance, Klaus. I don’t want to tear them away from each other for my own sake. It’s different with Elijah and I. He thought I was dead.”

“Not entirely. When my siblings were undaggered in Mystic Falls, Kol insisted you couldn’t possibly be dead. Elijah heard him. That was far before he met Hayley. I do not tell you this to harm you, but rather to tell you the truth.”

She gulped a bit loudly. “Yes… he told me that Kol had told him about that….” But she had never considered what Klaus had said. Elijah had heard Kol’s theory before meeting Hayley. And yet, he did not wait. Beatrix had not expected him to— it would have been foolish, since there were no traces of her anywhere. 

“None of us wanted to believe it,” said Klaus, more gently than usual, seeing she looked stricken with loss, and pain. “We watched the fire raging and we never thought you and Marcellus could have possibly made it out alive. When we saw him again and he did not mention you, it was just confirmation of what we had thought.”

“I feel hurt,” she said. “I feel confused. I don’t know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t this. It… It is a lot to get used to in such little time, Klaus. I’ve only just gotten out and already I’m being bombarded with… everything.”

The hybrid sighed. “You are no stranger to the problems that always follow us Mikaelsons. I wish we could have acknowledged your reunion differently. New to this world and yet you’re not given time to become familiar.” He nudged toward her pocket. “Let me at least teach you to use that phone that you purchased.”

That was how they waited for the right moment. Beatrix tried to absorb all the information that Klaus was feeding her. It was just so out of the ordinary for her to be set back like this. Usually, she was ahead, doing Klaus’s bidding and gaining them an advantage from the shadows. She had been their secret weapon in the past, a witch who could perform all sorts of spells without many devastating side effects. Just a loss of strength, as expected from anyone, since she was certainly not all-powerful. 

At last, Klaus perked up. “They’ve moved,” he mused. “They have finished their task. Come, love, it’s time for you to see if your little best friend did his part correctly.”

He meant Kol. After checking in with him, Kol had left first, and Beatrix hadn’t seen him. She was worried. She had been so hopeful to see him again, when she was in the prison world, and then she had thought him dead, but had returned to see him alive, just in another body. Sometimes, it was rather hard to keep up with Kol’s antics.

The two hybrid creatures exited the vehicle, and Klays led the way toward an altar in the cemetery. They hid in the shadows, seeing an hourglass on the altar, surrounded by salt and sand in a circle. Esther, in her new body, was at the center, and Rebekah and Kol had just walked to join her on either side of it. Klaus beckoned for Beatrix to follow him to the top of one of the crypts, and they climbed quietly, observing below as Esther suddenly lay the white oak stake at the end of the altar. 

“What the bloody hell is that doing here?” cried Rebekah nervously. Beatrix was sure that hadn’t possibly been part of the plan. 

Esther smiled cordially at her. “As each of you comes to your senses and takes my offer, I will destroy your vampire bodies.”

Kol looked confused. “Mother, you said you wanted the stake to protect them!”

“Yes, but not in their current bodies,” said Esther. “Once they accept my offer, I will be righting two wrongs—”

“No!” said Rebekah firmly, but Esther ignored her. 

“—Having brought this evil into the world, then having subjected my own children to it—”

“No, that wasn't the deal!” cried Rebekah. “Stop the spell!”

“The spell is already done!” said Esther, unfazed. “I prepared it to be locked in the moment I turned over the hourglass.”

Rebekah was not about to settle, and Beatrix made a move to lunge forward, but Klaus held her back. “Mother, think this through,” said Rebekah pleadingly. “You gave birth to this body, you can't destroy it!”

Esther could probably care less about Rebekah’s attachment to her body. “I am only destroying its flesh! Your beautiful soul will live on in the body of another. I have chosen well for you. A beautiful girl. Strong.”

“Now,” growled Klaus lowly before getting to his feet. “MOTHER!” he bellowed, drawing Esther’s attention toward him. “Stop the spell!” He sped toward the woman, coming to stand next to Rebekah. Beatrix followed suit, coming to rest beside Kol, who looked shocked. Certainly he hadn’t known Esther’s true plan. Klaus glared at him. “You and your traitorous son.”

Kol shifted anxiously. “Nik, I didn't know anything about it, I swear!”

Esther seemed shocked at this revelation, but composed herself, albeit looking annoyed with Kol. “Oh, good. I'm glad you two boys are friends again. I did wonder what you'd been up to in your time away. Now, I know.”

“Stop the spell Esther,” said Beatrix, raising her hand threateningly. “Before I blow the hourglass in your face and wash you full of black magic.”

“I'm afraid it’s impossible to stop the spell,” replied Esther. “But feel free to try. I am afraid you will be no match for me. I have been practicing since long before your descendants went extinct.”

“Take me instead,” said Klaus loudly, moving to stand protectively in front of Rebekah.

“Nik, no!” the blonde cried. 

“If only you'd taken my offer when it was still mine to give!” said Esther, clearly not about to be swayed by his sacrificial act. “Unfortunately, you've left me no choice but to make a... deal... with Mikael.”

“Mikael?” gasped Rebekah, horrified. 

“When Finn and Kol went missing, I needed a new ally,” said the woman before glaring at Klaus. “All he wanted was the right to kill you.” She then turned to Kol. “Kol, I would ask you to deliver the stake to your father, but it seems your loyalties have been compromised.”

“Stop the spell, Esther,” snarled Beatrix, though she worried that her attempt would just go wrong. If Davina hadn’t timed it right back at the compound…

“No, it’s okay,” said Rebekah weakly. “I can do this.”

Esther was hardly paying attention to her daughter, her eyes instead fixated on her son. “So, you're feeling murderous again. You should know, I've already chosen another body.” 

Kol then gave the signal. “NOW!”

Klaus dove forward and grabbed the ceremonial blade off the altar, before plunging it into Esther’s neck. She fell to the floor, dead, and Beatrix wrapped her hands around the hourglass, siphoning just enough energy when the last of the sand left it, to hopefully keep Davina’s hourglass from being overwhelmed. Rebekah’s body seized, and her eyes rolled back. Klaus caught her before she could fall, yelling out her name in fear.

“She’s not supposed to have collapsed!” he snapped, looking up at Beatrix just as the hourglass exploded in her hands, making her fly back and hit the ground with a painful crack. 

Kol sprinted to her side just as she let out a loud wheeze. He pulled her up, and she grasped her chest. “What the bloody hell happened?” snapped Klaus as he picked up Rebekah’s unconscious body.

“I-I don’t know,” said Beatrix weakly. “I siphoned it— Davina’s spell should have worked. The hourglass shouldn’t have blown up, though… something went wrong.”

Klaus’s eyes widened. “Camille,” he whispered, holding Rebekah firmly and speeding back to the car. Beatrix grasped Kol’s arm and sped away with him, shoving him into the backseat as Klaus laid Rebekah’s body down. The Heretic went into the passenger’s seat as Klaus began to drive, looking more worried than she’d seen him in awhile. 

When they arrived to the Mikaelson Compound, Beatrix leapt out and pulled Kol out of the car, helping ease Rebekah out so that Klaus could scoop her up and carry her inside. They found the young girl, Davina, sitting beside a blonde, presumably Camille, who was unconscious in an armchair. Davina looked up as they came in. “Cami’s not awake yet, either,” she said worriedly as Klaus set Rebekah down gently on the couch.

No one got a chance to answer her. Marcel ran in from another room, looking concerned. “Well, when she’s up, we gotta get her out of the Quarter,” he said. “She's not safe here. Someone busted Finn out!”

Klaus let out a loud, angry sigh. “My mother is using Mikael to do her dirty work now.”

A loud gasp made everyone turn to Cami, her eyes wide as she shot up a bit, before slumping back slightly into the pillow behind her head.

“Camille?” whispered Klaus, moving forward slightly, but not near enough to touch her.

The woman looked around, taking in her surroundings, before bringing a relieved look on her face. “I suddenly love that stupid name!” she said, her voice still slightly shaky.

Davina let out a laugh and pulled her into a hug. Beatrix smiled weakly at the paid of them, though her attention turned back immediately to the still unconscious Rebekah. Marcel crouched beside her, caressing her face gently with his hand. There was a brief silence as everyone turned to look at the Original sister, who was not even stirring slightly. Beatrix gulped.

“I couldn’t stop the spell,” the Heretic said shakily as Klaus adjusted his jacket and began to storm out. Marcel stood up, looking at Klaus for clarification. “Klaus! Please tell me that your mother’s dead!”

Klaus turned around briefly. “Rebekah and I took extra precautions. Esther is exactly where she needs to be.” He then walked out the door without another word.

“I don’t know what went wrong,” said Beatrix, examining the hourglass Davina had been using, which was now just as broken as the one in the cemetery. 

“We turned it just at the right time,” said Davina, standing up. “I could sense you siphoning it. I don’t know how, but I could feel it happening. It should have worked.”

Cami, behind them, started to get to her feet, and Beatrix swiftly caught her just before she crumpled down. “Easy, there,” she said, sitting her back down. “You need to gather some strength first before you try to walk.”

“You’re her,” breathed Cami, apparently already knowing who Beatrix was.

“Er— in what context do you mean ‘her?’”

“Oh, Klaus mentioned you in a um, therapy session,” she said. “You’re the Mikaelson witch, as he put it.”

Beatrix offered her a smile. “I suppose I can be called that. Now, when Klaus comes back, we’re taking you to a safe house. Is there anything you want us to gather for you?”

“I can do it,” offered Davina. “I can go to her house and get any essentials.”

“Yes, please,” said Cami, smiling.

“I’ll go with you, love,” said Kol, his characteristically flirtatious smile finding its way to the surface even though he was in another body. The two departed, and Beatrix raised her eyebrows at Marcel.

“So, Davina’s like a daughter to you, and you haven’t slaughtered that boy that Kol is inside of?” she said with a teasing air as she went to go put her hand on Rebekah’s forehead.

“If I could have it my way, Davina and Kol would be very far away from each other,” said Marcel with an exasperated sigh. “No offense to your best friend, but he’s not the one I’d have liked her to be with.”

“You’ll warm up to him. Kol may be rambunctious but he’s not cruel to anyone he dates. Plus, he seems to really like her. He’s not the same man he was before, Marcel, I know that even though I haven’t seen him in ages.”

Marcel shrugged, mostly looking worried for Rebekah. “Can you sense her, somewhere in there?”

“No,” murmured Beatrix. “I’m afraid she’d gone from her body. Once we get the girl that Kol prepared, everything should be fine, I can perform the spell to get her back in here and all will be well.”

It seemed things might go well, at first. When Klaus returned, Beatrix helped Cami, with her bag courtesy of Davina, into the car. She herself crawled into the backseat and curled up, falling fast asleep for the entire drive. By the time they got to the safe house, it was morning, and Klaus had parked the car. She cleaned herself up quickly, and followed them out toward the house. 

“I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family,” Klaus was telling Cami. “The little troublemaker all the fuss has been about.”

The door opened, and Hayley came out onto the porch, holding Hope in her arms. 

“Camille, this is Hope,” said Klaus, making Cami’s eyes drift between the three of them, shocked. 

“Oh my god!” she cried. “But— You said— I thought she was—?”

“The only way to truly protect her was to convince the world of her death,” mused Klaus. “I hope you understand, once it is safe for you to leave here, this secret cannot leave with you.”

Cami didn’t seem to mind. She nodded, smiling and crying a bit simultaneously, before going up to grab one of Hope’s fingers. “Oh, she's perfect!”

Beatrix, though heartwarmed at the sight, walked past them and entered the house, seeing Elijah cleaning up in the kitchen, presumably from the breakfast he and Hayley had shared. Beatrix said nothing as she walked past him to get some water, but she sensed something different in his attitude. He seemed elated, and she put her hand gently on the counter, since his hand was against it. She spoke the words in her head, and her senses became magnified. It was with a pang that she deduced exactly what was making him seem so bright. It was all over the room— an aura, pheromones, all things that Beatrix could tune into.

He had slept with Hayley. 

The realization made her leave the room immediately. Of course. She should have expected it. Hayley and Elijah, who clearly had something going on. Alone together in a safe house. 

She didn’t realize she was crying until she heard herself let out an involuntary sob. She covered her mouth quickly and sped upstairs, locking herself in one of the rooms.

“ _Fuscus silencio_ ,” she murmured, remembering to cast a spell around the room so this time, Klaus couldn’t come and pry. She dropped down by the door, hugging herself and letting out a loud sob.

This was too much. Trying to internalize it all in such a short time was something ridiculous to be asked of her. She should have taken her time integrating herself back into the world, but even that wasn’t a choice. What else would she have done? She wouldn’t have been able to resist helping especially when Elijah had been missing. She just wished that it would have happened differently, that she’d arrived back in the real Mystic Falls and the family was there, together, in their proper bodies. 

Elijah. Her lover, the one who had crept up and become the most important person in her life even though in the beginning, they didn’t get along very well. He had moved on, which she’d expected, but seeing it first hand was like getting her heart actually ripped out. It ached, a loss that she could not just get over. She had waited eighteen years to come back, and everything had changed far too drastically. 

Beatrix wasn’t sure how long she’d cried, but she knew it must have been awhile when she heard a knock on the door.

“I can’t hear you in there, but I can still smell you, Beatrix,” came Klaus’s voice. “You forget that I am a hybrid.”

How could she forget? She groaned and buried her face in her knees, not ready to confront the world yet. Not wanting to see Elijah.

“Hayley and I will be heading back to New Orleans,” he continued, expecting her to have heard him. “You will remain here with Camille and Elijah, to care for Hope. Rebekah should have already woken up in the body of Angelica Barker. Once she has cut the ties of Miss Barker's former life, she'll make her way directly here. You should expect her shortly, so that you may begin preparations to put her back in her old body. I trust you can take care of that.”

Beatrix just sniffled. She could take care of that, sure, but was she really meant to go down and socialize? She’d prefer to remain there, able to cry without judgement.

“You’ll need to eat sometime,” he mused. “I took the courtesy of leaving some blood bags here on the floor.” 

She heard something drop behind the door, and her stomach rumbled. Against her better judgement, she stood, opened the door, and yanked the bags in, tearing into one and beginning to drink, moaning in relief. Klaus looked down at her, and shook his head. “You need to rest, Beatrix,” he said quietly. “You’ve overworked yourself. I thank you for your help. Please, remain here as long as you need to.”

“I don’t know if I have the willpower to stay, Klaus,” she murmured. “Did you sense it? It’s all over the two of them... I don’t know how long I can stand to be next to Elijah. I’ll lose my mind. Or do something terrible, and I don’t want that.”

“You were stuck somewhere for eighteen years and all of this is new. It is confusing. I do not blame you. You have my number now, in your phone. If you believe it is in your best interests to return to New Orleans, let me know. I can pick you up or meet you somewhere.”

Klaus was shocked when the Heretic dropped the blood bag and pulled him into a tight hug. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, shaking as she tried to stop herself from sobbing again. 

And when he left, she didn’t know how to feel. She went to shower, got some fresh clothes, and came down to find that Cami and Elijah had some sort of board game out. She ignored them, tuning out whatever their conversation was and going toward Hope, who was playing happily on the floor. She crouched down beside her, offering the little girl a smile before waving her hands and making the toys leap up, as if they had a mind of their own. At least, babies always made her feel better. 

“Elijah?” asked Cami, making Beatrix become alert. “Are you okay? Hey, Elijah—” 

The Heretic turned just as Cami reached out to grab the Original’s hand, as he’d been frantically trying to dry his sleeve. Elijah grabbed her wrist to stop her, and Cami froze. “I’m not as fragile as my brother suggests,” he said in a hard voice. Beatrix made a move to get up, but he released her, and his phone began to ring. He answered it quickly, looking exasperated. “Rebekah, where on Earth are you?” He paused to listen, and his facial expression changed. “I see. No, I must have been dialing the wrong number. Forgive me.” He hung up, and turned to Cami. “I must call Klaus.” 

He sped away, and Beatrix stood, going to Cami’s side. “Are you okay?” she asked immediately. “Did he hurt your wrist?”

“No,” she said softly. “He just scared me, a bit. I-I spilled something on his sleeve… I didn’t know that would trigger him.”

The brunette winced. “I don’t know what to do about that. He’ll need time to heal. And I don’t think either of us should get close to each other.”

“What’s your story with them?” Cami asked. “I-I don’t mean to pry, I’m sorry if that was a bad question. I just got curious. Klaus talked about you like you two were… close. But you and Elijah seem to have history too.”

Beatrix cast her a wry look. “It’s more complicated than that. As of right now, I am not involved with any of the Mikaelson brothers. I don’t think I will be, for a long time. Or ever again, honestly.”

“Well… if you ever need to talk, I am good at that sort of thing,” said the blonde. “Elijah doesn’t seem to want to talk to anyone, but… just know that I’m here.”

Beatrix gave a slow nod. That’s right, she had heard Klaus briefly mention Cami was studying psychology. “You know what?” she said, looking around. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Cami was the best psychologist that Beatrix had ever met.**

This statement was probably biased, since Cami was the only psychologist Beatrix had gotten to know, and the only one she’d been to that knew of the supernatural world. 

Beatrix and Cami had a private and very lengthy therapy session (with input from a very happy Hope, who babbled and held onto Beatrix as if understanding that she wasn’t feeling well. The Heretic actually found it quite helpful to speak to Cami. She was a good listener and she didn’t seem judgmental at all when she went into her relationship with Klaus or Elijah. She made her feel acknowledged, and it felt good for a modern day shrink to give her advice. Beatrix found that she rather liked Cami, and she could sense that Klaus had most certainly taken a fancy to her as well. 

Within the day, they were already fast friends, and Cami had shown Beatrix more of what she could do on her phone.

“See, there is this thing called Twitter, and you can post things— what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling— it might be a good outlet,” suggested the blonde. “And you can make friends on there, too.”

“Hmm, I like that,” said Beatrix.

And so she had made a Twitter account. It was rather strange, at first, since she had to give so much information about herself that she didn’t really have, but once everything got settled, she decided on the username @ heretrix1684, which Cami thought was rather clever.

In the evening, the two women gathered up some food and made a simple meal, but were not joined by Elijah, who’d been avoiding them all day. Instead, he remained in the living room, looking out the window, as if he had no intentions of eating. 

“I’m going to check on him,” said Cami as Beatrix bounced Hope on her hip, waving her wands delicately in the air to make the plates wash themselves. 

She left the room, and Beatrix listened in. At first, nothing seemed wrong, but suddenly, Beatrix heard Cami’s heart begin to beat very rapidly, followed by a pleading cry for Elijah to calm down. 

Beatrix set Hope down carefully and sped to the living room, shoving Elijah off of Cami just as the black veins bulged beneath his eyes. The vampire staggered back and sped away right after, not eager to have any sort of discussion with Beatrix. 

“Are you alright, Cami?” asked Beatrix, leading her back into the kitchen. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she breathed, though she looked shaken. “He’s clearly worried about Rebekah…”

“I’ll call Klaus to get an update,” she said, scooping Hope up and pulling out her phone, dialing his number.

“I’m assuming Elijah has either wrecked the place, or you miss me,” said Klaus, sounding mildly amused the instant he picked up.

“Oh yes, Cami, Hope, and I are pining right now, and we might lose our heads if you don’t return to us,” she replied dramatically. “Elijah’s not doing too well. And from what it sounds like, Rebekah is still M.I.A. So… what’s the game plan?”

“I am going to question Kol shortly— I’ve been dealing with something else. I will update you all on what I discover, soon. That is, if my bastard of a brother is willing to tell me the truth right away. Not to worry, love, I’d prefer if you and Camille remain with Hope for now. We will find Rebekah.”

They had waited for another few hours before Klaus chose to call in an update, and when he did, it was to Elijah, who was outside on the porch. Cami crept out to listen, but Beatrix was able to hear the conversation perfectly fine from her spot on the couch, Hope now sleeping in her arms.

“I need you to trust me,” Klaus was saying. “I can handle finding Rebekah.”

“Brother, you are asking me to do nothing,” said Elijah impatiently.

“Elijah, right now, the most important thing is that you are there, protecting Hope.”

Elijah let out a dejected sigh. “So be it. I shall remain here with Beatrix, who does not intend to even look at me. And, of course, with the… hopelessly courageous Camille. She certainly has charisma, though she does lack stealth.” There was a pause. “Let me call you back.”

Beatrix tuned out quickly once she realized Elijah was going to talk to Cami. Whatever it was, it was private. Instead, she turned her gaze down to the sleeping baby. She looked so perfect, and innocent. It made the Heretic’s heart ache to think that this little one would likely never be safe, not when it came to being Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter.

“You are so loved,” she whispered gently to the teeny girl. “You are going to be so strong, one day, I know it. So small, and yet, you seem to know what’s going on already.”

Her eyes batted slowly, like she could hear her. Smiling, Beatrix leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead as Cami and Elijah came back inside.

“I’m going to put this little one to bed,” said Beatrix, standing up with Hope in tow. “Sleep well.”

She didn’t wait for either of them to respond before she sped up, and went to deposit Hope in her crib. She gave the girl one last kiss on the forehead before going to her room and locking the door, choosing to remain isolated for the remainder of the night, which ensued with dreams filled with nothing other than memories.

_They had been laying in Elijah’s bed, naked beneath thin sheets, curled up together and waiting for their breathing to slow down before they could talk, as they usually did, after making love, one night in 1904._

_“Every single time,” panted Elijah, bringing her head to rest against his chest, over his beating heart. “Every time… it feels just as incredible as the first.”_

_She’d let out an airy chuckle, bringing her hand up to grasp his. “Well, that’s basically all you. I don’t do much of the work.”_

_“And I prefer it that way, you know it,” he said, smirking a bit. “It’s so much better, mostly listening to you—”_

_“Shh.” She moved up to cover his mouth, her cheeks tinted red. “Let’s not get into that right now. I just heard them come home.”_

_The two stopped to listen, and sure enough, could hear Klaus and Marcel laughing about something downstairs._

_“They won’t listen in,” Elijah said, rolling them so that he was on top of her once more, making her squirm in delight when he dipped down to kiss down her body, going under the sheets and making her cry out in pleasure. “Elijah, not now!” she moaned, tugging at his hair and shutting her eyes._

_When he didn’t immediately listen, she pulled him back up a bit more forcefully, looking embarrassed. “As I recall, you used to be the one listening in,” she said sternly, though she had a playful smile on his face. “I’d be mortified if we were too loud and Marcel happened to hear something dirty. Especially since your mouth is oh so talented when it comes to dirty things…”_

_Elijah had rolled his eyes. “The same can be said about that pretty little mouth of yours, Itza, and you don’t see me censoring that.” He traced his thumb over her lips, before plunging it into her mouth and beckoning her to suck on it. She did, but soon popped it out. “Let’s talk about something else,” she whined. “Please.”_

_He chuckled, and pulled her in for a kiss, before sitting up and pausing to think. “We can discuss… perhaps… whether you’d be willing to play in a concert.”_

_“I can’t leave this place, remember? No magic? People out to get me? It’s a recent development, you know, I think it barely happened the other day.”_

_“Forgive me for trying to change the subject,” he chuckled. “What conversation haven’t we had? It’s been fourteen years since the first time we did this. And we always have some sort of… deep conversation afterward. What haven’t we yet discussed?”_

_She knew what. She put her hand on his cheek and kept him facing her. “I love you,” she whispered, letting her fingers graze over his jaw._

_He’d taken her hands and held them tightly before leaning down to kiss her. “And I love you,” he’d whispered back._

_Another night, this time in 1835, when Beatrix had still been with Klaus. They’d gone out for the night and had a very good time feeding on some unsuspecting humans._

_“You’re getting very good at your erasure, Beatrix,” praised Klaus as they took the long way back to the Mikaelson compound. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had the strength of mind to compel other vampires.”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous, Klaus, I’d need to be an Original for that, and you and I know both that if I had that sort of strength, I would no longer be around,” she laughed._

_They were at a point where they could joke and tease and not get offended. While Klaus had never opened up to her as much as Elijah did, Beatrix knew him well, and knew just how far she could go without angering him._

_“Oh, certainly not— if I knew you had the ability to overpower other vampires, I’d certainly be rid of you,” Klaus agreed very seriously, wrapping his arm delicately around her waist._

_“What would you do without me?” she teased. “I’m seemingly the only one who can get your soft side out, hmm?”_

_Klaus had chuckled at this. “Just because you’ve seen me in bed doesn’t mean you know my soft side, love.”_

_The thing was, she did. He had told her what he felt, deep inside. After all, they’d been together for years already, and though she no longer lived at the Mikaelson compound, they met up quite often. Klaus could be rather vulnerable with her, though he’d never care to admit it._

_“Pity that you won’t admit it, because you just mistakenly made yourself sound like an absolute wimp in bed.”_

_“Ah, so you prefer my rough side, then, love? Nothing to be ashamed of, I suppose.”_

_“Mmm, I’d definitely need to be screwed in the head for that, wouldn’t I? You’re going to be a wimp in my mind, from now on.”_

_“You may say that, but we both know that your body will most certainly not remember things that way….”_

_They’d arrived at the Mikaelson compound and Beatrix had realized that something felt off. She hadn’t known that hours ago, when she’d been getting ready, Klaus had offered Marcel a deal upon discovering his relationship with Rebekah. Undagger her, and live out his life as a human by her side, or become a vampire and let Rebekah lay dormant for fifty two years. Marcel had chosen the latter, and now, the compound was oddly quiet, without the presence of the youngest Mikaelson._

_Suddenly, Klaus had pushed her against the nearest wall, his eyes wild, his expression angry. He’d held her hands to make it impossible for her to siphon off of him, and she squeaked, leaning away from him._

_“Marcellus has quite kindly let me know of your hand in helping him and Rebekah sneak around these past years,” he said, livid. “It would seem that treachery is in your nature.”_

_“K-Klaus,” she said, looking afraid. “I-I just wanted to h-help them, I d-didn’t mean to make you m-mad—”_

_“So you played a long game with me,” he sneered. “Don’t be silly, love, I see right through you. This was all a lie. You thought by bedding me, I’d be oblivious to the truth forever. A mistake, on your part, wasn’t it, love?”_

_“N-No!” she cried. “K-Klaus— I fell for you! That’s not a lie!”_

_“LIAR!” he snarled in her face, gripping her throat hard enough to make her gasp in pure pain— he was crushing her windpipe. “You helped them sneak around and you defied me! You’ve outlived your usefulness for me, Beatrix, as Marcel no longer needs to be parented! How dare you stand here and insist you are not a filthy little liar, who practically seduced me for the sake of letting my sister get her fun time with the boy we raised. I thought I could trust you. I thought that you were loyal to me.” He looked hurt, and though Beatrix’s vision was blurring, she could see the pained look in his eyes. “Apparently, I was mistaken,” he finished in a deadly whisper. “Goodbye, Beatrix.”_

_“Klaus, p-please,” she wheezed as he brought his hand over her chest, ready to plunge it into her heart. “It was real— It was real! I haven’t lied about my affections, please—”_

_Marcel himself, now as a vampire, had torn Klaus off of Beatrix, leaving her to choke and gasp for air on the floor, just seconds before the hybrid could tear her heart out. Klaus had angrily stormed off, and for many years after, he’d adamantly believed that his entire relationship with Beatrix had been a lie. She had tried to desperately explain how she was meant to distract him at first, but she had actually caught feelings for him. He wouldn’t hear it._

_Eventually, he did speak to her again, and their friendship was mostly rekindled, but Beatrix knew that Klaus never quite forgave her. As far as she knew, he was still convinced that she’d never fallen for him in the first place._

At least, that mattress had been better, but the memory dreams were a terrible way to start her day. 

“How did you sleep?” asked Cami brightly when she saw her, already eating and looking over at a very happy Hope in her high chair.

“I think the universe hates me, and is plaguing me with terrible, unnecessary memories,” she said honestly, serving herself some food before sitting down. 

“Maybe you and I can have another session today. Elijah and I are going to talk, and maybe when we’re done, you can come in.”

Beatrix quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, don’t worry, these memories aren’t anything new. I mentioned them yesterday. I think this little munchkin and I will have a nice daylong picnic outside while you two talk, so you can have some privacy.”

“Are you sure? You can always do the spell you did yesterday to keep the conversation in that room.”

“I intend to do it again, yes, in case Hope or I need to go in. But it’s a nice day outside, and I think we should enjoy it.”

Cami didn’t argue. While she devoted herself to Elijah and helping him work out his problems, Beatrix and Hope remained outside with a nice picnic basket and blanket. The Heretic had created a comfortable, see through dome of magic that helped keep the bugs away, and any harmful amount of UV rays. The breeze was perfect and Hope was having fun rolling around, especially when Beatrix made her toys move on their own to play with her. There was a moment when one of them had fallen from their formation (since Beatrix had been making them do a conga line for Hope’s amusement), and she supposed maybe she had messed up the spell slightly. She didn’t think much from it, since Hope conveniently scooped it up and began to wiggle it around. 

“BEATRIX!”

She whirled around, seeing Cami screaming for her from the house. She waved her hands to clean everything up, and scooped up Hope, speeding toward the blonde, who was pale with worry. “What happened?” asked the brunette immediately. 

“Elijah just collapsed,” she said, running back into the living room, where Elijah lay unconscious. Beatrix handed Hope to Cami and dropped to his side, her hands on his forehead. “I think someone’s got him in a bloody chambre de chasse— I can’t access his mind. Call Klaus. If he doesn’t pick up, the same fate might have befallen him.”

Cami immediately whipped out her phone and dialed the number. It rang twice before someone picked up. It was Davina, and she sounded confused. “Cami?”

“Davina?” said Cami. “Why are you answering Klaus’s phone?”

“Because I can’t wake him up,” sighed the young witch on the other line.

“What?” said Cami. “Elijah collapsed, too. Beatrix said something about a ‘chambre de chasse?’”

There was a pause, and it seemed this made Davina realize something. “Ugh, I’m an idiot! The spell Finn used was to trap his brothers…. Meaning Kol is in trouble.”

“So what do we do?” Cami said, sounding alarmed as she looked over at Beatrix.

“I have no idea,” answered Davina.

“It’ll be really hard to break them out of it, especially if Finn is orchestrating it,” said Beatrix.

“He’s channeling Esther and Mikael,” said Davina. “I don’t think there is much that I can do.”

Beatrix held back a string of curses as she tried to think of a solution. “It seems the only thing we can do is wait. As long as their bodies don’t start seizing or bleeding, we can assume Finn just wants to talk to them, and make a threat or something. I can try and get into the chambre de chasse, but I don’t think I’ll be able to. Finn won’t have anything representing me.”

“I’ll keep you updated if anything happens to Klaus, then,” said Davina before hanging up.

The Heretic knelt down beside Elijah, putting her hands on his temples. She began to siphon first, her hands glowing as she tried to break a barrier into Finn’s spell. No such luck. She shot up and tore around the house, looking for candles, before returning with three and setting one at Elijah’s feet, and two on either side of his face. She lit them, hovering her hands over his head. “ _Menus aperta confractus_ ,” she whispered. “ _Animo apertum_ …”

Not enough. She left, and this time, brought salt, scattering it all around to connect the candles in a loop. “ _Ment oberta, trencar ment, rozlom se_ …”

Nothing. “I can’t break in,” growled Beatrix. “There’s nothing we can do but wait.”

Waiting was always such a sucky task. Beatrix didn’t have enough patience for it. One would think that after eighteen years stuck in a prison world waiting for an opportunity to get out, she’d be much more inclined to being calm. No such luck, of course, not when it came to someone as temperamental as Beatrix. 

When Elijah finally gasped and awoke, Beatrix quickly waved her hand in the air to vanish the salt and candles. Cami rushed forward. “Thank God!” she cried worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“For now,” he said a bit shakily, straightening up and casting Beatrix a look. “We felt you trying to break in. You quite nearly managed it, but Finn had made sure that nothing in the room could even remotely represent you. He knew you would try." 

She turned red. Well, then, she’d been closer than she thought. “Er— well at least you’re out, now.” She went to pick up Hope. “I’m going to go change her diaper.” She dashed away to avoid conversation. 

By the time she returned, having taken her sweet time with pampering Hope properly, she found Elijah on the phone with Klaus.

“How is my daughter?” came the hybrid’s voice from the other end. Elijah turned back toward where Beatrix had entered the room and gone to hand Hope to cami. 

“She’s in good hands,” said the Original “As am I. However, if you say the word, I shall return.”

“No, you’re needed where you are,” Klaus said.

“So, the city is safe?”

“Well, I wouldn't exactly go flinging around terms like ‘safe.’ Marcel and all his vampires have inexplicably disappeared. Kol is in the wind, Rebekah is still lost, and Finn is dangerously suspicious of the secrets we keep. Speaking of which... I meant what I said. I am capable of forgiveness.”

Cami and Beatrix both went silent, looking down at Hope as Elijah began to tear up. Neither woman seemed sure what that was about, but it must have been something meaningful. 

“We need to remain focused on our common enemies,” said Klaus. “I’ll be in touch.”

He hung up, and Elijah slowly tucked his phone away. He paused for a second, just staring at the wall across from him. He then turned to the other three. “Beatrix?” he said. “May we speak?”

Well, that certainly caught her off guard. She looked up at the Original, seeing Cami smiling out of her peripheral vision. The Heretic nodded, and slowly stood, following Elijah out to the backyard, where the light of the moon shone over the two of them, just enough for them to see each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said gently, right as he closed the door behind them. “I haven’t bothered to try and check up on you, this entire time.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said quietly, not wanting to start off confrontationally. “You’re not feeling well either. It’s not your duty.”

“Not just now, Itza. Before. I never tried to look for you. I never questioned why Kol was so insistent on you still being alive. I forced myself to move on and I did not look back. I sought to forget because it hurt too much to look forward to something that might never occur. Please… do not hold back whatever you are feeling. Do not be angry with Niklaus, but when you nearly broke into our chambre de chasse, you became the topic of conversation, and even Finn seemed very aware of how distraught you must be. I haven’t even tried to make peace with you or make sure you were well.”

She gulped, and looked down, taking a step away from him. “I don’t think we need to get into that. I’m fine. I talked about it with Camille. I-It’s fine. Doesn’t need discussion.”

“Itza, I’m not delusional. In a crazed state, yes, but I noticed that twice, Niklaus was going to get you out of your hiding place. You are not feeling well. I want to hear how I can do better. Contrary to what you might believe, you are still the one that means most to me. The only one I have ever trusted with every dark secret in my life. I do not wish to let you down.”

And just like that, she fell apart.

She began to cry, and when he moved forward, she held a hand up to keep him away. She hated this. Feeling so useless. Not wanting to be touched. Needing time to readjust to so much contact from others. “I s-spent every single day of n-nearly two decades just hoping to see you again,” she said shakily, between sobs. “I thought about you all the time, and I expected you would move on, but I never thought it’d be like this. I-I just— I thought that m-maybe we’d need to start from scratch and build it up. But there is someone else. And she— she’s amazing, Elijah. S-She’s beautiful. Strong. A hybrid too, but a better one. I convinced myself I’d be okay if I came to the realization that you would prefer Hayley. B-But I’m not okay. I waited so long, just to come back and lose you. I’d be so selfish if I tore you away from her. And I-I don’t want to be a problem by having this thought lingering.” She shook her head. “I should just show you. It was easier to say it when you were unconscious.” She moved forward, and put her head on his temples, showing him her memory of just days ago. 

_“I don’t know if you can hear me,” she said, taking his hand while he lay on his bed. “I’d like to think you can. Your mother didn’t know I was still alive. She could have blocked Klaus out, but not me. I really… wouldn’t know. I don’t know if my magic is as good as Esther’s. You wouldn’t be proud to know that I immersed myself into darker magic recently. Being stuck with a sociopath for eighteen years… really does wonders on your brain.”_

_Elijah, of course, was silent. His lips twitched, and she grabbed another cloth before wiping his sweaty face down. She tenderly slid the rag over the wound on his neck, then pressed her fingers to it, siphoning directly from there. This hurt more, and her hand immediately withdrew itself back._

_“Anyway… I can’t wait to find out what’s been going on with you all lately,” she said. “Someone told me you caused quite a bit of trouble in Mystic Falls. Nice town, for the most part. But when I went, it was empty.” She clasped her hands together. “Um… I became a doctor, you know. I should probably go back to school soon. I was an OB-GYN. I helped babies be born. I didn’t have my magic at the time, so I couldn’t magically heal them. But I was good at it. I saved a lot of mothers and their children. I think you’d have liked to see that side of me.”_

_She let her knuckles graze down his cheek. “I was remembering, too, the poem I showed you all those years ago. I wonder if you remember it. I never gave it a title…” she traced her finger delicately through his hair, sighing. “You haven’t changed a bit, Elijah. Though… I do recall your hairstyle to have been quite different. Let's see, what else... I haven’t practiced the violin in so long, but I remember the tunes you taught me. I still play piano. The person I was with in the prison world always liked that, even if he wouldn’t admit it.”_

_She then bit her lip. “I see the way Hayley looks at you. And I wonder… I wonder if you know how lucky you are to have someone like that in your life. She’s brilliant. She’s everything I could have wanted for you and for Klaus. I… I spent so long imagining the day I’d get to be in your arms again. The day I’d get to kiss you once more. But… I don’t think that’s going to happen now. And… that’s okay, even if... if it pains me to lose you. We can start fresh. After all, you and I were friends first. It hurts to think that I might have to temporarily or permanently let you go. She’s better, and if you want her, and she wants you, then you should be together. I sense things are more complicated, but I want the best for you, Elijah.”_

She let go of him, and stepped away, turning so that her back faced him. She drew a deep breath, giving him a few seconds to internalize it. 

“Itza,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I...I never wanted for things to become this complicated.” He paused for a bit. “Hayley… she is going to marry Jackson. To unify the pack. It will make it safer for Hope to return to New Orleans.”

“But you still care for her, and she cares for you,” mused Beatrix, tears still falling steadily down her face. “That’s not going to change. It’s just… a lot harder now because Jackson is in the picture. He likes Hayley, I could tell from the one time I saw him.”

“It seems the situation becomes more complex, in that sense,” Elijah said quietly. 

It was true. Jackson and Elijah both wanted Hayley. Hayley wanted Elijah, but had to be with Jackson to protect her daughter. Hayley and Beatrix both wanted Elijah. Beatrix wanted Elijah, but with Hayley in the mix, it would never work out. 

The Heretic turned around, and gulped, before impulsively going forward and pulling him in for a hard kiss on the lips. She fully intended to pull away, to not get ahead of herself, but Elijah had another thing in mind. Holding her firmly, he kept her there, his hands gripping the back of her head and her waist so that she could not escape. 

“I’m sorry,” she panted in a brief moment where she was able to pull back. “I-I shouldn’t have done that, not when we’re essentially saying goodbye.”

“Then let’s say goodbye properly,” he said in a low voice, picking her up and pressing his lips onto hers once more.

At the very least, she was thankful that her room still had a silencing spell.


	17. Chapter 17

**The time following their night together proved to be rather uneventful, though that only gave Elijah and Beatrix more time to steal glances at each other.**

Beatrix knew for a fact that their ‘proper goodbye’ had been a mistake. A blissful error that had allowed her to relive the pleasure she hadn’t had in nearly a century. Sure, she had been with Kai because her needs had been far too great to withhold from, but he was human, and as good as he was, he was nothing compared to Elijah. 

And it wasn’t in the sense that he wasn’t physically gifted. Because he certainly was. But Kai had slept with her because of lust, anger, and frustration. A means for coping and releasing stress to keep motivated without a lingering desire in the back of his mind. He got intimate with her solely because he needed to feel a more human connection than what he could take care of on his own. He stayed the night only when it was convenient to fit into fantasies of murder, which certainly aroused him more than anything he could do with her, no matter how sexually graphic it was. 

With Elijah, Beatrix felt safe, and his priority had always been pleasing her rather than just using her for his own desires. He took his time and while it could feel aggravating, it overloaded her with satisfaction that made her see red and white over and over, squirming and losing herself at his will, always under his control. He knew just how to make her shiver— what spots to touch that would drive her crazy. What pace he needed to take in every step of the way to ensure he left her looking a mess when he was done with her. He never left when they were done. He held her into the night, wanting to feel her falling asleep in his hold after he’d left her too tired to do anything else, especially any sort of movement. 

They did not speak of what they had done. They could feel stares from Cami, and smirks coming their way, because she of course knew what they’d done as a coping mechanism. Neither commented on it. They spoke normally, taking care of Hope and entertaining the little girl enough to keep her smiling and happy. It wasn’t until one evening that Klaus called, and Elijah stepped outside, though Beatrix could not resist her temptation to listen in.

“The wedding works in our favor,” he said, after he’d explained to Elijah that he’d spoken to Hayley about her having to tell Jackson the truth about Hope due to their wedding rituals. “Newly-empowered and ruled by Hayley, the wolves will be an asset to our family.”

“Yes, assuming you’re willing to trust Jackson with our secrecy,” said Elijah smoothly. “I must confess, brother— I’m a little surprised to find that you do.”

“Well, my faith in Jackson is a means to an end.” Typical Klaus. “If I had simply killed him, Hayley would have turned against me. You should have seen the ferocity with which she defended him. It was impressive. That said, I don’t take the matter of secrets lightly. Once the wedding takes place and the wolves are forever altered, well, Jackson’s fate becomes a little less certain.”

She heard the phone call end— presumably Klaus’s doing. Breathing deeply, she acted as though she hadn’t been listening, and took a sip of her water. She’d been trying to urge herself to drink water and blood rather than using alcohol to calm herself. It wasn’t like she could get drunk anyway. 

She looked down at her phone and blinked at the notification. Apparently, someone wanted to follow her on Twitter. She went into the app, going toward the tab where her follow requests were. As it turned out, there were quite a few that she hadn’t seen before, but mostly random accounts that were promoting something or pretending to be a model.

“Catfishes,” she murmured as she looked at the profiles. “Jesus, there are so many of them…” She suddenly stopped as she looked down at one that stood out from the others. _@ Cobrakai1972_. 

She went into the profile and saw that it had been made quite recently. Her heart began to beat very fast. Kai was out of the prison world, it seemed. She allowed him to follow her and followed back. Almost immediately, she got a message.

“ _Trixter! Would you look at that, I didn’t think you’d have Twitter. I got recommended to follow @ heretrix1684 right away and I knew it was you. Look at that! I just sent an entire four sentences_.”

Beatrix leaned back in her seat, taking another sip of water. “ _Honestly, I’m not surprised you chose CobraKai as a username. Now, how the hell are we speaking? Since when have you been out?_ ”

“ _Not that long. After you abandoned me, it was just Bonnie and I. We found the knife where my darling sister Josette hid her magic, and I used her blood to get back. Simple, really_.”

Beatrix gulped. “ _Does that mean Bonnie is still trapped?_ ”

“ _Yeah, but who cares. At least I gave her a nice Thanksgiving meal before abandoning her <3._”

“ _Dick move, bitchboy_.”

“ _How bold of you. I can only assume you finally got in bed with your babydaddy again_.”

Beatrix rolled her eyes. “ _And I can assume that now you’re back to the harsh reality where no one wants anything to do with you_.”

“ _Let’s not get cocky and forget that you were all over it before_.”

“ _Cut to the chase. You’re messaging me for a reason_.”

“ _OFC. That means ‘of fucking course,’ in case you’re too old to know text slang_. _Anyway, there was this big Traveler spell thing over Mystic Falls that was keeping supernaturals out. I absorbed all of it (you’d be sooo proud of me ;) and now, I’m basically you, without the fangs. I had a fun time trapping Damon’s girl in her little high school place… but the good news is just starting. Josette is preparing to do the Merge with me, and I will soon lead the Gemini Coven, because there is no way she can beat me. Keep your phone handy. I’ll require you to come to Mystic Falls soon._ ”

The Heretic was rather shocked at the words. Things were progressing quickly for him. It was almost alarming. “ _I’m not sure I’m going to be willing to just drop everything and help you,” she answered bluntly. “I have obligations here. They’re my family. Not you_.”

“ _Ouch. Kidding, that didn’t hurt. You’ll help, though, I know you will. You can’t resist me. TTYL_.”

He stopped responding after that, and Beatrix wondered if perhaps he could be the first person she’d block on Twitter. 

But she didn’t want to cut him off. She couldn’t help but think back to the anger that rose whenever she thought of the Gemini Coven. They trapped her even when she wasn’t hurting anyone. Forced her into a prison, away from her loved ones, before they could find out she was still alive. 

All she could do now was await more news from Kai.

Another while afterward, there was actual news, but it came from Klaus. Apparently, the long lost eldest sister Freya was not so lost anymore, and most certainly not dead from plague. She had gone to aid Finn after having helped Rebekah escape where she’d been trapped— the Dowager Fauline Cottage. Beatrix had to admit, it was rather cruel for Kol to have put her there, of all places. He could have instead trapped her in an ugly body, or something, for a bit. It raised the question of whether Dahlia was also around or not, and they collectively feared the answer to that.

Beatrix tried to cope the best way she could without being reckless: by cooking. Although she had definitely not been an avid cook in the past, her time in the prison world had at least made her better than that. While she and Kai couldn’t die permanently, they had needed to eat, and it was nice to try random dishes over the years and perfect her technique.

She had been making a scrumptious breakfast with the help of Elijah when they both heard something break, and Hope begin to cry. They sped over, and found Hope with a small cut on her forehead. 

“Oh!” cried Cami worriedly as she scooped the baby up. “She yanked the tablecloth and that knick-knack fell on her. It’s just a scratch…”

“Let me examine it,” said Beatrix, taking Hope into her arms and bringing her closer to Elijah. It was indeed, thankfully, nothing more than a small cut, one that would heal well. But before she could say anything about it, she felt Elijah tense up beside her, staring at Hope intently, his eyes fixated right where the blood pooled over her head. 

“Elijah?” said Cami urgently. “Elijah!”

He quickly shook his head, taking a step back “Yes… forgive me,” he said, looking thoroughly embarrassed. He sped away and returned with a bandage, handing it to Cami, and keeping his distance as Hope slowly stopped crying. 

“It’s a trigger,” said Cami to Elijah as Beatrix gently put the cupcake-patterned bandage on Hope’s forehead. “You pulled yourself back, which is an improvement for sure, but we can’t ignore that your mind clearly went elsewhere. It’s a very common thing in traditional PTSD patients. We’ve done the work to face your atrocities. The truth is, it’s just going to take some time to settle.”

“I wish it was something I could just siphon away,” sighed Beatrix. “I don’t have experience with patients like that. All of mine, in the past, were pregnant mothers or young women who were visiting a gynecologist office for the first time.”

“Do you believe you have the power to resolve this?” asked Elijah, facing Cami. 

The blonde sighed. “It’s not that easy. With Beatrix’s patients, it’s a simpler process. There’s no—” she snapped her fingers, “and you’re fixed. In cases like yours, sometimes not dwelling on the problem is more productive than examining it through the minutiae of therapy.” She pulled out a list on a sheet of paper and handed it to Elijah. “Staying mentally busy instead of physically. This house— though charming— is completely falling apart.”

Elijah raised his eyebrows as he glanced down at the list. “So, this is your solution? Mend the home, mend the man?”

Cami smiled knowingly. “Or, we could go fishing and take turns talking about how we lost our virginity—”

Elijah quickly held his hand up to stop her. “I’ll mend the home.”

“And I’ll spend the day with Hope,” said Cami pleasantly. “And you spend the day not thinking. And fixing the heater, because this place is freezing at night.” She turned to Beatrix. “Would you rather go into town with Hope and I, or help Elijah?”

“I think I should go with you two, just to give Elijah his space,” she said gently, smiling back at the Original. “It can be a girls’ day out.”

And so they parted ways. Beatrix dared to pat Elijah’s arm as she headed out with Hope, while Cami gathered the supplies. 

“So, you and Elijah got cozy,” mused Cami curiously as they began to drive. “How does that make you feel?”

“Like I succumbed to my impulses and ruined things,” sighed Beatrix bluntly. “I shouldn’t have, and yet I did.” She leaned over to Hope, as she was seated in the backseat with her. “Lesson to be learned, little one, think very carefully about who you let into your life. Don’t forget to read the signs on someone just because they’re good looking.”

She could wish, at least, that the message stuck in Hope’s head for future reference.

“Can we talk about how clever you were to get Elijah to work on repairs today?” chuckled Beatrix as she waved a toy over Hope’s head, making the baby squeal in delight. “Talking about losing our virginity, I will forever laugh at that memory…”

“Well, with Elijah, making awkward statements like that seems to be the only way to get him to listen,” she chuckled. “I suppose the conversation would be really weird to have, honestly, considering you both have been alive for a very long time.”

Beatrix thought for a second. “Hmm, well, I actually held back once I realized I would be immortal, actually. I um, almost did it with this man I was courting just before I got turned— he got killed, though. When I was traveling the first time, I didn’t trust many people. I’d snog many of them, but I never actually went to bed with them.”

She thought back for a second to Kai, how he’d always been trying to get the details about her sex life in the past. In reality, there wasn’t much of a story there.

“I actually lost it to Kol,” said Beatrix, making Cami’s eyebrows shoot up. “You probably shouldn’t tell Davina that— I don’t want to drive a wedge between them. Kol and I didn’t actually have feelings for each other.”

Cami seemed to like this topic of conversation. “Now that we’re on the subject— is there anything you can tell me about him? Davina’s like a little sister to me. And I don’t know Kol the way you do.”

“He’s an obnoxious and often selfish prick,” Beatrix mused. “But he’s my best friend because of the fact that I saw past that. The deal with Kol is… he never really felt included by the others. So he doesn’t tend to like getting close to people unless they share a common interest in witchcraft. The true Kol that I know is passionate about what he learns. Loyal and caring to a fault, and he would never hurt Davina. He cares about her, I can see that. He is a hopeless romantic who will do anything to keep her happy. And I know that he will be gentle and sweet. He seems so open with her, and I have every bit of faith that she’s making him be a better person.”

“You’ve really thought about this,” said Cami. 

“Well, he’s family. It’s about time he settled down with a nice girl. Davina’s a powerful witch and she’s perfectly pleasant. I like the idea of them together.”

The Farmer’s Market proved to be a nice environment to spend time with Hope. She was so adorable when it came to inanimate objects. She had examined a pear with great interest, as if she saw it as something other than a fruit. She waved it around enthusiastically, as if it were a doll, and babbled as if giving it the ability to speak.

“You’re always a joy to be around,” sighed Cami, patting her cheek gently. “Sometimes, I struggle to believe the fact that she’s Klaus’s daughter.”

Beatrix had no problem believing it. After all, she knew Klaus wasn’t always raging and murdering people.

_“You painted this for me?”_

_It was 1831, and Klaus had come to Beatrix’s apartment, bearing gifts in the form of a beautiful painting. It was a scenery of the bayou, picturing the shabby cabin that Beatrix had grown up in. She wasn’t sure how Klaus had known, since she’d never shown him where it was. There was the figure of a woman holding the hand of a little girl, both their arms stretched out toward the water. Under their hands, the water glowed with so many colors— an aquatic rainbow brought to life by Klaus’s talents. It was a square canvas that fit perfectly on Beatrix’s nightstand, beside the jar of roses that she’d turned into teal flowers that smelled heavenly every morning._

_“I-I thought you might like it,” said Klaus, looking shy, which was so unlike him, as far as Beatrix had seen him. “I touched your arm the other night when you were asleep, and you were dreaming of this place, and the woman I can assume was your mother.”_

_She had taken the canvas and looked down at it, smiling, and setting it down gently before pulling the very surprised hybrid into a hug. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you.”_

_“You’re sure you like it?” he asked worriedly. “I can always make something else—”_

_She grabbed his face and kissed him, not letting him finish his sentence. “I love it, Klaus,” she assured him. “I’m going to keep it forever.”_

And she had. It was still wrapped delicately, under her bed in the Mikaelson compound, where she’d left it in 1914 after she took it off the wall to re-paint it. She never got the chance to, but the painting was still secure. The memory made her smile. Once they returned to New Orleans, she’d put it back up.

“Oh, damn,” said Cami suddenly, having reached into her pocket. “I left my cell at the house. Do you have yours?”

Beatrix dug into her pockets and sighed when she withdrew her phone, but saw it was dead. “I forgot to charge it _again_. I swear, I’m not used to having obligations to a little box of gears..” She waved her hand over it, humming and clasping it tightly. It started to turn on. “Excellent. Now, what did you want to do?”

“Just call Elijah and let him know we’ll be heading home soon,” she said as they went to get in line, shopping cart in tow. “Ugh, on second thought, wait a bit to call… this line is really long.”

“I could always compel them to serve us sooner,” said Beatrix, leaning down to play peekaboo with Hope. “Huh? Is that a good idea, little one? Should Auntie Trix compel the little humans?”

“I don’t know how good of an example that is for her,” said Cami, though she chuckled lightly. “We’re in no rush, we can wait.”

Out of respect for Cami, Beatrix held back from gaining them an advantage. Like a trio of perfectly normal people, they waited in line until they finally got to scan all their groceries.

“Next time, we’re compelling people,” said Beatrix once they started loading the bags into the back of the car they had. She pulled out her phone and dialed Elijah’s number. He didn’t answer, and Beatrix sighed, leaving a voicemail. “Heading home now, see you soon.”

“Beatrix,” said Cami right as she hung up. “Come look at this.”

She turned toward where Cami had taken the bandage off of Hope’s forehead. “Look, her cut is gone,” she said. “Did you give her blood?”

“No,” said Beatrix, perplexed. “Maybe Elijah did, when we were getting her ready to go. He probably felt bad and didn’t want her to scar up.”

Cami laughed lightly and caressed Hope’s head gently. “Well, I don’t know if the pediatric board would approve of Uncle Elijah using vampire blood to heal boo-boos!” She picked her up and went to fasten her in the car seat as Beatrix returned the shopping cart, sighing as she thought it over. Elijah might have given Hope blood. But was it possible she healed on her own? She hadn’t been around very many supernatural children before. She wasn’t sure if it worked that way. 

They began to drive back, the sun already beginning to set, and darkness coming onto them. Beatrix sat with Hope in the backseat once again, humming as she started to fuss.

“Aw, darling, we’re almost home,” she said. “I think she’s getting tired.”

Cami began to hum a tune, and Beatrix joined her, rocking the car seat gently to help Hope sleep, if that was what she wanted. When she didn’t close her eyes, Beatrix waved her hand to check her diaper, and frowned when she realized she didn’t need a diaper change. “Maybe you’re hungry again, even though we gave you some of the bottle in line?” she murmured, preparing another bottle for her and handing it to her, coaxing it into her mouth. Hope whined and pushed it away, clearly not at all interested in food.

“What’s wrong, baby?” sighed Beatrix, looking up to see the house in the distance. “What else do you want?”

Suddenly, the car came to a stop. Cami started to press the button repeatedly, telling the engine to run again, but it wasn’t working.

“Oh, come on,” sighed Beatrix. She waved her hand over the dashboard, but nothing happened. “What—? Someone is blocking my magic, stopping me from turning the car on.”

But within instants, the car was the last thing they were focused on. A massive explosion sounded, shaking the car. In the distance, fire and smoke burst out of the house.

“Oh my God!” cried Cami, covering her mouth. Right as she finished speaking, the car’s power clicked on again, and the two women turned toward Hope, who was now completely calm.

“No bloody way,” whispered Beatrix. “She— she _knew_. How did she know?”

“I-I don’t know,” said Cami. “But Elijah— what happened?!”

“Turn back and head somewhere safe,” said Beatrix, unbuckling herself and handing Cami her phone. “I’m going to go check it out. Call Klaus if I don’t find you within two hours.”

She sped away, going into the house and finding it was completely wrecked. There was a body on the floor when she entered, charred and unrecognizable from the explosion. Another body, nearer to where the window had been. This was Elijah. She dove to his side and flipped him over. Dead, but he’d awaken soon. The same could probably not be said about the other person. She saw his daylight ring on the floor beside him— who was this other person and why had Elijah orchestrated the explosion?

Then it hit her. Finn. Klaus had mentioned something about Finn wanting to find Hope— this entire time, he’d already known, and was planning to come and get her, but as luck would have it, they’d gone out that day.

“Okay,” breathed Beatrix, gathering her wits and slipping the daylight ring back onto Elijah’s finger before pulling him up. She groaned in effort. She’d definitely need to start working out again. Hoisting him against her shoulder, she pulled him out of the house, coughing from all the ash around. She laid him down on the grass outside and put her hands on his chest, mumbling a spell to speed up his return.

Within minutes, he’d sat up, coughing loudly, and she thumped his back to have him cough out all the ash.

“You diabolical little shit,” she breathed. “Becoming an arsonist now?”

He chuckled a bit, wiping his face. “Maybe. It was Finn.”

“I deduced correctly, then. Come on, let’s go find Cami. She turned back to take Hope somewhere safe. They shouldn’t be too far.”

The two sped forward, and soon found that Cami had just stopped at a nearby auto garage, alone in the parking lot. The blonde was standing outside of the car, apparently trying to get service on Beatrix’s cell phone. 

They stopped a bit aways from her, and Elijah began to walk on his own, accidentally tripping over a piece of metal on the ground. This, of course, startled Cami.

“Whoever’s out there, if you try anything, I will gouge out your eyes!” she shrieked, turning around to look in all directions. 

“Actually, Camille, that's probably not necessary,” said Elijah calmly as he and Beatrix made themselves seen. 

Cami sighed in relief, but stopped when she saw how messed up Elijah looked. “What the hell happened back there?”

“That’s a discussion for the car,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat of the car. Cami nodded and climbed into the back with Hope, while Beatrix went shotgun.

“Call Klaus,” Elijah instructed as he began to drive. “Let him know we’re on our way.”

Cami handed Beatrix her phone back, and the Heretic took it quickly, dialing Klaus’s number.

“What happened?” asked Klaus immediately. “Is Hope alright?”

“She’s fine,” said Beatrix quickly. “Elijah got rid of Finn. We’re on our way back to New Orleans. Unless, of course, there’s some other location you want us to go to.”

“No, come back, we’ll be expecting you,” he said. “Drive safely.” He hung up, and Beatrix sighed, leaning back in her seat, adjusting her seatbelt and setting her phone down.

Elijah went into an explanation of what’d happened, which Beatrix found unnerving. Apparently, Freya had helped Finn locate them, and Finn had intended to take Hope. 

“So, is Freya on our bad guy list?” asked Beatrix, her phone buzzing in her lap.

“For now, it may seem so,” Elijah murmured.

Beatrix winced, and opened her phone, seeing a notification from Twitter. _Message from Cobrakai1972_. He’d sent a picture of himself holding up a peace sign, and looking a bit disheveled.

“ _Just became the leader of the Gemini Coven_ ,” his message read, with an emoji kissing a heart beside it. 

Beatrix furrowed her brows in concern. “ _Jo went with it?_ ” she questioned. 

“ _You remember the twins I wanted to kill? Olivia and Lucas? Well, selfless little Luke made a deal— he’d merge with me to protect Liv and Jo. Of course, I beat him. Rip_.” Followed by a skull emoji, and a happy face emoji. 

“ _Don’t be so insensitive. What’s your plan from here?_ ”

“ _Lay low for a bit. Do some charity work. FFS, Trixter, IDK. You’re still on standby. Don’t get too attached to your Original bone machine_.”

“ _Ew, do not call Elijah that. I’d prefer you let me know first what you’re planning._ ”

“ _I’m biding my time. I want to gather the Coven somewhere, eventually, and die to get rid of them. As I recall, you’re eager to help with that. I’m thinking I could get turned there, for them to see. Then, you’d be able to teach me about being a Heretic. Unfortunately, Herekai doesn’t work as well as Heretrix, but Cobrakai is still perfectly functional_.”

“ _Herekai makes you sound like an STD_.”

“ _Thx. Be sure to tell Elijah how you obsessed you were with this STD_.” An emoji sticking its tongue out at her. 

“ _Not going to happen. GTG. Business to take care of._ ”

“ _Think of me when you do the deed_.” An eggplant emoji and a peach emoji, followed by three water droplets. 

Beatrix rolled her eyes and shut off her phone, letting out an audible groan.

“Everything alright?” asked Elijah, raising his eyebrows at her. 

“Yes, everything’s fine,” she said quickly.

“Ooh, who were you talking to?” said Cami, trying to diffuse the tension. “Made friends on Twitter already?”

Beatrix smirked slightly. “An old acquaintance. I don't know if I'd consider them a friend."

She said nothing more the rest of the way, ignoring the curious looks Elijah was sending her way.


	18. Chapter 18

**When they arrived to New Orleans, Beatrix thought her biggest worry would be figuring out what to wear for Hayley’s wedding.**

As it turned out, there were more things to worry about.

“Bloody hell, this same number has called me three times in the past five minutes,” said Beatrix, glaring down as her phone rang. They were at the after-party following Hayley and Jackson’s ceremony. The Heretic had been standing off to the side, just drinking wine with a very forlorn looking Elijah. 

“Usually, when the same number calls several times, they expect you to answer,” he said from beside her, glad to discuss anything but the bride and groom. 

“Well, they aren’t leaving voicemails and I don’t know who it is!”

The Original chuckled. “Perhaps it is the friend you were messaging earlier.”

“That’s impossible, unless I got hacked and Twitter gave away my phone number. Ugh, fine, I’ll answer it…” she picked up the call. “Who is this?”

“Finally you answer, Trix!” came an unfamiliar voice. “I’ve been trying to reach you!”

“Who is this?” Beatrix repeated.

“It’s Bex! Klaus gave me your number. You need to get here right now. Lafayette Cemetery, the Claire tomb. Bring any grimoires you have.”

“All my grimoires have been long gone,” huffed Beatrix. “What’s going on?”

“Kol is dying.”

The statement made Beatrix stagger back, nearly dropping her glass to the floor. Elijah caught it swiftly, furrowing his brows. “I-I’m on my way,” Beatrix said shakily, hanging up and speeding off. 

It didn’t take her long to get to the Claire tomb. “Hello?” she called. “Bex? I’m assuming you’re here with Davina? And— oh crap.”

Sitting in a chair was Kol, his mortal body looking weak, and covered in sweat.

“What the fuck happened?” she hissed, rushing to his side. “Kol— you’re all pale… who did this to you? What’s going on?”

“Finn hexed me,” he said weakly. “Trapped me in this body and I’m dying.”

Immediately, Beatrix put one hand on his forehead, and one on his chest. Beginning to siphon. Kol gave out a grunt of pain, squeezing his eyes shut. There was a sound like the cracking of a whip, and Beatrix flew back, hissing as her hands burned.

“Finn’s blocked me from siphoning it away,” she grumbled. “He must have put that spell when he was still channeling Mikael.”

“We have to do something,” said Davina desperately, coming closer and holding a book in front of Beatrix. “What about this? Transubstantiation. We can combine it with a protection spell.”

“Finn’s spell blocks that,” said the woman that Beatrix assumed was Rebekah. Definitely didn’t look familiar. “The body calls it, and then he dies. We need to jump him into a new one.”

Davina let out a frustrated groan. “We can't just pick another body at a farmer's market, we don't even have a spell for that!”

“We can try to take the hex off another way, but it will take a lot of power, and there is no guarantee it will work,” said Beatrix slowly. “I worry that Finn covered his tracks too well, and he’s thought of everything we could do. We’d need more ancient magic to counter him, but only Rebekah is as old as him. And even then, you didn’t study magic while he was daggered.”

Rebekah bit her lip. “Isn’t there anything dark you could try, Trix? Kol always did say you had a better aptitude for that.”

“I could try it,” she said. “Please, help me set up candles and salt around him. We also need something to sacrifice.”

“I’ll find something,” said Davina, rushing out as Rebekah helped Beatrix pull Kol to the ground. 

“S’too risky, Trix,” said Kol weakly. “Could poison you.”

“It won’t,” she promised. “We have to try everything.”

Once they set him down, they put candles all around him, and created a wide ring of salt over his body. Davina returned with a dead cat, which smelled terrible.

“Someone just ran over it,” she said sadly. “It was convenient, but sad.”

“It should work,” sighed Beatrix, taking the cat and grabbing a knife, cutting through its middle, and spilling blood into a bowl. Once she had enough blood, she set the cat down onto the dirt, and waved her hand to bury it. She took the bowl and knelt beside Kol, dipping her fingers into the blood and creating an ‘X’ on his forehead. She stood and went to find some of the other stored ingredients, grabbing some roots and bringing them into the bowl. She dipped them in, letting her hands become covered in blood. 

“Breathe, Kol, it’s very important,” she said, closing her eyes, and humming. “ _Adsicco_.” The blood dried around her hands, and she let them hover over his body. “ _Odstranit trencar roztříštit, fosc kletba netejar venenum duše. Odstranit trencar roztříštit, fosc kletba netejar venenum duše…_ ”

Kol let out a pained yell, but Beatrix kept her eyes shut tight, trying to concentrate. She could feel a tug in her gut— the spell was adequate, but Finn had certainly mounted some very powerful defenses. 

“ _Odstranit trencar roztříštit, fosc kletba netejar venenum duše…_ ” she chanted, the fire of the candles becoming hotter. “ _Odstranit trencar roztříštit, fosc kletba netejar venenum duše…_ ”

“His eyes are bleeding!” screamed Davina. Beatrix stopped immediately. “ _Cessare_! Kol— Kol can you hear me?!”

He coughed and nodded, his body trembling as Davina broke through the salt to pull him up, removing the blood, which had stopped streaming out.

“Fuck,” hissed Beatrix, waving her hands to make the candles return to their place. “Finn’s rooted it deep. We can’t break it without killing him…”

“B-But if we don’t break it, he dies,” said Davina, her lip trembling as she pulled Kol back into his chair.

They were at a loss, and the imminence of Kol’s death was becoming all too real. The three witches tore around the tomb looking for anything that might yield a solution. Nothing was working and he was getting weaker after every attempt. No matter how often Beatrix tried to siphon it away, she couldn’t hold on for long. There was no spell that seemed to be helping at all. 

“Bex, Trix,” said Kol softly, looking up at the three women after the millionth failed attempt to save his life. “Can you give me a moment alone with Davina?”

They nodded and walked out of the tomb. “I don’t think anything is going to work,” murmured Beatrix. “He knows magic better than all of us. If he knew the solution, he’d have said something already." She put her hands on Rebekah's shoulders. "Go get your brothers. I’ll remain here with them. If they don’t want to come… I’ll be giving them a very painful experience when I return to the compound.”

Rebekah left, and Beatrix let out a pained sigh as she peered into the tomb and saw Kol and Davina dancing slowly, music playing from the gramophone that was nearby them. Beatrix could see them crying, and it was a terrible sight. 

Even with such a limited time seeing them both, she knew how much they meant to each other. 

She watched them move, whispering things to each other that she did not attempt to hear. Kol’s body was trembling, and he looked ready to collapse, but he was forcing himself to remain upright.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see that Rebekah had returned with Elijah and Klaus, who had very serious looks on their faces.

“Should we go in now?” asked Rebekah quietly when she saw Kol pulling away from Davina.

“I think I want to be alone for this bit,” he told her, starting to cough loudly, and sinking back into his chair.

“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” said Elijah, choosing that moment to go in. The siblings followed, and Beatrix went in last.

“‘Always and forever’ is not something that you just weasel out of, brother,” said Klaus, offering Kol a small smile as they surrounded him, kneeling to his level. He started to bleed from his nose and mouth, coughing again. Beatrix moved forward and pulled him to lay in her lap, stroking his hair gently while Davina rushed over to grab a necklace she’d been trying to spell to protect him. 

“All my life, all I ever wanted was for you lot to care about me,” said Kol softly, beginning to laugh but doubling over in another coughing fit. Elijah rubbed over Kol’s back gently, while Klaus helped hold him firmly, and Rebekah took his hand tightly, her eyes teary.

“Kol, listen to me. You don't have long. You're going to die,” she whispered. His lip trembled and tears began to roll down his cheeks. Rebekah gulped and squeezed his hand. “But you will die a witch, and we will consecrate your body. You will join the ancestors of the French Quarter, and those spirits can be brought back. And, I promise you, brother, I will not leave this body until I find a way to bring you home.”

Kol smiled up hopefully, but just began to cough harder. Beatrix brushed the hair out of his forehead, fighting back the need to cry. This wasn’t fair. She hadn’t gotten enough time with him after she heard he was alive again. This was wrong, and he shouldn’t have had to be in that predicament. 

Davina rushed back to his side, holding the necklace and bringing it to Kol. “I-I tried a different spell,” she said desperately. 

Kol took her hand slowly. “It’s okay,” he managed hoarsely. “I’m not scared.” He let out a very quiet laugh, then went still. Beatrix swallowed hard and closed his eyes, hanging her head as she heard Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, and Davina begin to cry audibly, not caring to hide their pain anymore. 

**_**

The following days were terrible. 

It seemed only Davina and Beatrix were grieving. The poor young Harvest witch was in a flood of tears, manic and sleepless inside the Claire tomb, trying to find ways to bring Kol back from the dead. She and Beatrix had consecrated him, and lain him to rest, and while both were trying to figure out how to restore his life, none was working harder than Davina.

“You need to eat,” said Beatrix on the fifth day, when she saw how weak the younger girl looked. “You’ve been cooped up here for too long.”

“I can’t eat, I’ll throw up,” she murmured, going through yet another grimoire. “I don’t feel well. Just eat it yourself.”

“Davina, we need to pace ourselves with this. We have to make a plan, split the work.”

“Well it’s going to take too long to do that!” she said impatiently. “Rebekah is supposed to be helping and she’s off shopping or whatever! And Elijah and Klaus are worried about anything else— it almost makes me wonder if their crying was an act! They came and held him and didn’t show their stupid faces much often after that.”

The Heretic winced. She knew Klaus was dealing with matters of protecting Hope. Elijah was moving into a new place in Algiers to be away from the compound, since Jackson was living there now. Of course, she also thought that perhaps the brothers had acted performatively when it came to Kol. They’d never really gotten along before. She knew they most certainly cared, but she also knew that he wasn’t their priority at the moment. 

“We’ll figure something out, Davina, I promise,” said Beatrix. “But please, you need to stay healthy. Otherwise you won’t be strong enough to perform the spell when we find it.”

Against her will, the girl moved forward and dug into the cheeseburger that Beatrix had brought, wrapped in tinfoil.

“At any rate, at least you’re helping,” muttered Davina, shaking her head. “The others could care less.”

“Ah, we don’t need them. I’m sure that combined, we’ll have enough power to do this ourselves.”

Later that day, Beatrix found herself absorbed in planning. 

Klaus had told her that she should feel free to work at her own pace, and that she needn’t feel obligated to help them with anything if she didn’t want to. He knew how much Kol meant to her and that she needed to feel her grief separately. 

Thus, Beatrix tried to be productive amidst her pain. 

She had repainted her room, and put the paintings up again, including the one Klaus had made for her. She’d used magic to fix her mattress and other bits of damaged furniture. She’d finally gotten around to going into town to donate all her old clothes, and was able to sell several things that she’d purchased in the past and were now useless. She felt better having put some proper money in her pocket. 

She was taking a break around midday with a lemonade in hand when her phone buzzed. Another message on Twitter.

“ _Trixter, guess who cried for the first time today?_ ” Crying emoji.

Rolling her eyes, Beatrix typed a response. “ _Don’t tell me you spontaneously gave birth to a baby_.”

“ _Funny. Do you think we can talk on the phone?_ ”

“ _IDK if I trust you enough to give you my number._ ”

“ _Just hurry up and send it._ ”

Against her better judgement, she did as he asked, and within seconds, he was dialing her number.

“Hello,” said Beatrix out of habit.

“Hi, this is Dr. Parker calling to tell you that you’re pregnant,” he cooed playfully on the other end.

“You are so stupid,” said Beatrix immediately. 

“I may be stupid but I wasn’t kidding when I said I cried,” he said, sounding amused. “I think I got screwed over with positive emotions after I absorbed Luke.”

“Oh, joy, you’re finally feeling some empathy,” she said, cracking a small smile. “Maybe you’ll be more tolerable that way.”

On the other end, Kai laughed. “You’re just itching to come back to me, aren’t you?”

“Ew, don’t flatter yourself.”

There was a sound like he sipped some sort of drink, and let out an ‘ah’ of satisfaction. “So, what are you wearing right now?” purred Kai, and Beatrix could practically picture him wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Clothes, like any sane person. Did you really just want to call to be gross?”

“It pains me that you are so adamant about denying your obvious feelings for me, Trixter.”

“Kai, we spent eighteen years trapped together. We killed each other too many times to count, and eventually, we had to tolerate the other because otherwise, we would have lost it and not been mentally stable enough to get out. As I recall, I taught you a lot of magic. So I don’t know if you should be harassing me right now.”

“Harassing you? Wow, that really does make me sound like a dick…”

“You are one.”

“Hmm, sure. We’ll put it that way. What’s up with you and Elijah, then?”

“Literally nothing.”

“Oh, come on, surely you can spare a few details. I would think that after fantasizing about him every time we had sex, you’d have actually managed to procreate.”

Beatrix rolled her eyes. “That’s not true, Kai. But believe what you want. I know you’re having fun thinking you’re hitting a nerve, or something. I’m unfazed. I’m…”

She was going to say ‘happy’ to rub it in his face. But she was anything but happy. She had slept with Elijah once and now, they acted as though nothing had happened. He wasn’t close by anymore. He was never going to get over Hayley, not fully. Kol was dead and poor Davina was going to lose her mind obsessing over how to bring him back. Hope was not as safe as they’d like her to be. Freya was still a threat, as far as they knew. 

“You’re miserable,” finished Kai. “I know you. I know how your voice changes when you’re actually enjoying something. Whatever it is you’re up to, you hate it.”

“I don’t hate it.” This was fact, at least. She very much disliked the bad parts, but she felt good being near Elijah and Klaus again, seeing Rebekah and Marcel had a chance once more, and knowing that Hope had been blessed with a mother as amazing as Hayley. Even though Kol was dead, there was most certainly a chance to bring him back. So no, she did not hate her predicament. She just wasn’t happy.

“You’re lying between your teeth. Come on. Tell me. For old times’ sake. Before, you could never stop talking.”

“It was really different when you were the only person I could talk to, Kai. I’ve already seen a psychologist. Or, at least, she’s a future psychologist. I’m coping.”

“See, this is weird for me to say, but I feel something, and it seems to be worry. I’m perfectly pleased. I’m getting everything I wanted. You were my only source of entertainment, so I listened, and I know for a fact that you’re not getting what you wanted. So, spill.”

It was so strange to hear Kai speaking like this. But she knew that this was authentic. A slightly better ish version of him born from his merge with his younger brother. 

She sighed and leaned her head back, and pointed her hand at the door. “ _Fuscus silencio_.”

“Ooh, you’re going to get into some juicy details,” said Kai eagerly. 

“Shut up. Elijah and I only slept together once and it was a mistake.”

“Ouch, was he that bad? The way you talked about him, you were making me question my sexuality, thinking to get a piece of what you referred to as a 'fine specimen of a man.' Yikes for Elijah. ”

Beatrix let out a soft laugh. Okay, that had been funny. “I never said that it was bad. It’s just complicated. There’s another girl. Except she’s married now, and her daughter’s father is Klaus.”

“That gave me a fucking headache. What about the other family members?”

“Marcel is doing well, but he’s busy. Kol… well, he ended up being alive in a witch’s body, but then, he died. A few days ago, in my arms.”

There was silence on the other end. She wondered if perhaps, Kai was feeling some sort of sympathy.

“That sucks,” he said quietly. “Um… I’m sorry? I think that’s what people say. I know you got a little… out of hand last time you heard Kol died.”

“I can’t lose my head this time. There might be a way to bring him back. I just need to find it.”

“Your life sounds absolutely terrible right now, Trixter. Come back to Mystic Falls. We can have some fun wreaking havoc. Canoodle.”

Beatrix snorted. “Canoodle? I think absorbing Luke left you delusional, Malachai.”

“And there you go, making me murderous again. I’m still a sociopath at heart, you know. I can very easily kill you. I’ve done it several times before.”

“Yes, yes, we’ve been over that. Thank you very much. Whatever.”

Kai sighed, but then chuckled. “You’re just as annoying as over. I’m serious, come join us in Mystic Falls. We can—”

“Itza?”

Beatrix shot up as Elijah’s voice came from behind the door. She waved her hands to undo the silencing spell. “Um— what do you want?”

She had forgotten about Kai. “Ooh, your real name is Itza,” said Kai with great interest. “That’s hot. Not hot enough to moan out, I think I’d rather call you Beatrix when it comes to that—”

Elijah opened the door, raising his eyebrows as Beatrix hung up immediately. “Who were you talking to?” he said curiously, feigning innocent interest. But Beatrix knew the look on his face. He was focused. Jealous. 

“Um, just the acquaintance from before,” she said simply.

The Original came closer, glancing around the room as if to evaluate it. “For an acquaintance, he speaks an awful lot about intimate things. I couldn’t hear anything before, but I assumed you were inside. Silencing Spell? For privacy, I presume.”

“I just needed to rant,” she said, not thinking this need to become an issue. “I thought you weren’t going to be around much.”

“No, I wasn’t intending to. I simply needed to have a more upfront conversation with Niklaus.” He stood at the edge of her bed, staring at her. “You know, Itza, you are allowed to be with anyone you’d like. I will not stop you.”

“I’m not with Kai,” she muttered, standing up and going to the window to open it.

Elijah’s face grew with a knowing smirk. “So that is Kai. The man you were stuck with in the prison world.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. We just have a similar agenda for the near future, it’s fine. Doesn’t need to be a thing.”

“I was merely curious, Itza, I didn’t mean to come off as nosy,” said Elijah, though the hard tone in his voice suggested otherwise.

Beatrix looked back at him and raised her eyebrow. “I never would have said nosy. Intrigued, yes. You haven’t met Kai, and from what I’ve told you all about him, you have reason not to like him.”

“I would never trust him with you, that is for certain. He sounds rather heartless.”

“He’s a sociopath, darling. But he’s not much different than any of you. Just a lot more modern. He lacks any sort of Mikaelson elegance. And he’s still human.”

Elijah was beside her within instants, his hand under her jaw, tilting her face up to look at her. “Do you desire him?” he asked, glaring intently on her and expecting an honest answer.

“No, I don’t. Not that it matters— he’s got no capacity for romantic attraction.”

The Original narrowed his eyes slightly, as if not believing her. “Then who do you desire?”

The Heretic turned pink. “Come on, ‘Lijah,” she murmured softly. “You know the answer to that. You needn’t get jealous of Kai.”

He moved to pin her back against the wall. “Cast your spell again,” he said, his voice low.

She gulped, seeing his eyes darkening. Lust. Annoyance, perhaps, that things were not simpler. She knew Elijah was conflicted— he wanted two women, one much more than the other, but that one was now married. So of course, he seemed to be settling for her, the one that was available. But this didn't feel real. In fact, Beatrix felt hurt. Maybe she was looking too deep into it, but it felt harsh. 

Beatrix drew a lengthy breath. “I don’t want to start something if I’m just going to be a rebound for its duration. I’m not stupid. I know you would rather be with her. If Jackson wasn’t in the picture, you would be. I don’t want to be your plaything while you wait for some terrible fate to befall the werewolf Alpha. If you’re not going to be committed to this, then I don’t want you toying with my feelings. I just lost my best friend and I intend to bring him back. I don’t want there to be problems between us while I'm trying to bring back your brother.”

“It doesn’t need to be a problem,” he said, his other hand coming around her throat. She closed her eyes, trying to suppress the feelings of need. 

“Last time was a mistake,” she said quietly, trying to focus on anything else— her phone buzzing, for instance. Kai was likely calling back. “Elijah, I know exactly what you’re feeling right now. You’re jealous. You have the same look on your face that you did when I was with Kol and when I was with Klaus. You’re jealous of Jackson and Kai. The latter, I don’t know why, but I can tell that you are. Please… if this isn’t going be serious then I don’t want us to sleep together again.”

For a second, she was afraid she’d triggered him. Angered him all over again. His jaw twitched, and she flinched a bit when he didn’t immediately remove his hand from her throat. But finally, he stepped back.

“I apologize, Beatrix,” he said calmly. “I am not myself, and I do not wish you any animosity. I will leave you to converse with your… acquaintance.”

He sped out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Beatrix remained in her room long enough to make the others a bit worried.**

“How about we visit your Aunt Beatrix and see if she is still wallowing in sadness after her apparent squabble with Uncle Elijah?”

The Heretic looked up from where she was fixing her sheets as Klaus came in with Hope, who looked overjoyed. “Hello, darling,” said Beatrix, going over and plucking the girl out of her father’s arms. “Your daddy is just itching to get the scoop on everything around here, isn’t it?”

“Well, you’ve been cooped up in here for so long and we barely see you for meals,” said Klaus indifferently. “One might think you’re plotting murder.”

Beatrix made a silly face to Hope. “Hear that? He thinks I’m planning murder. Absolutely no common sense.” She looked back up at the hybrid. “Actually, I’ve been fixing my room the best I can. And, you know, figuring out how to bring your brother back from the dead.”

“I am very aware of that, love,” said Klaus, examining the room out of curiosity. “But I would expect you to socialize more than you have been. Elijah has not come by since we saw him leave in a hurry the other day, and you haven’t really shown face. You’re too talkative to be stuck in here by your lonesome.” He glanced up at the wall, seeing the painting he had made for her. “I am rather surprised you still have that.”

“Why would I get rid of it?” said Beatrix as she waved her hand to conjure a blanket for Hope on the ground. She set her down and gave her a small ball of yarn. “I can make you a doll with this if you like it.” Hope didn’t seem to need it to take the form of a doll. She picked up the ball of yarn and squealed, waving it around with content.

“Freya is stopping by,” said Klaus, leaning against the wall and watching the two. “I would like for you to join us when Rebekah arrives. She should be here shortly. Elijah called her.”

“Are you sure you want me stepping in? That’s a family matter.”

He threw his hands in the air like he couldn’t believe her words. “When has ‘family matter’ _ever_ excluded you? I’d like to think you’d know by now that we always like having you there as a somewhat neutral party. You have attachments to _all_ of us and therefore, will see reason.”

“Actually, you just like to include me because I almost always agree with you. It’s the one thing Elijah always hated, but never spoke on. He knows that while I am rational like him, I tend to lean to my wilder side that tailors to you.”

Klaus smirked. “I _am_ your sire, Beatrix. Naturally, you will prefer to follow what I say. But you do not always do it. You have sided with Elijah many times.”

“Klaus, I just don’t think it wise to go and stick my foot where it really doesn’t belong. This is between all of you. Freya is your sister, not mine. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t want to make any contact with her unless we had a way to fully trust her.”

This made the hybrid’s lips curl into a greater smirk. “Funny thing, then, because that’s exactly what I wanted you to think. I have absolutely no intentions of warming up to her. You know that I never would. Elijah and Rebekah may be softened quite easily— especially my sister, because after Kol’s idiotic ‘prank’ on her, she sees Freya as the savior that helped her get out of the Fauline Cottage.”

“So you came here, bearing serotonin in the form of your daughter, to sway me to stand by your side in the matter of Freya? You’re a devil, Klaus.”

“And yet, you often agree with this devil.” He knelt beside her. “I knew you could not resist, looking at that little face.” For effect, it was like Hope knew to coo happily. “But I will not force you to do this. I am well aware that you and Elijah are not on good terms. I happened to have overheard, of course…”

Beatrix rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

“You know my brother. He gets jealous very often in matters that concern a woman and other men. It’s been occurring repeatedly over the time we’ve been alive. You, especially, are his weak spot. He was jealous of your relationship with Kol. Then your relationship with me, especially after we stopped being Marcel’s parents together. Yet, it wasn’t until Rebekah egged him to that he tried to actually speak with you and set things straight. It is rather obvious that he is displeased with Jackson’s presence here, and even more so knowing about your apparent suitor who he hasn’t yet met.”

“Kai is not my suitor, holy f—” she stopped herself, since Hope was looking up at her with big eyes. “He’s just an acquaintance. Our shared interest is in getting rid of the Coven who trapped us. After that, I doubt we’ll ever speak again. He’s only talking to me because he needs something from me. Once he gets it, he’ll forget I ever existed.”

Klaus shrugged, still smirking, and picked Hope up again, followed by the ball of yarn that she apparently found very interesting. “Listen for when Rebekah arrives. Then, make your way downstairs.”

He left, and Beatrix let out a loud sigh.

At first, she spent her time just listening, since he’d said Rebekah would arrive soon. Then, her mind had wandered to Kai, when she’d gone to Twitter to see if he was active.

What was he, to her, anyway? She wouldn’t think of him as a friend. But he wasn’t just an acquaintance, either. ‘Friends with benefits’ would imply some sort of endearment, which was not there. ‘Acquaintances with benefits’ was a rather strange way to put it. He really was just the guy she’d been trapped with for nearly twenty years. Her suffering buddy. She supposed that might be the best way to think of him.

Hours passed and Beatrix became aware of the fact that Rebekah was still not there. She couldn’t hear her voice anywhere. Hours had already passed, and she could hear a distant conversation that was surely taking place with Freya. She could hear an agitated tone in Klaus’s voice— he most certainly was getting very impatient with the woman and was still refusing to believe she could be his sister.

After yet another hour of wait, Beatrix stepped out of the room, walking out to the balcony to see if there was anything below. She saw Elijah seemed to have just finished a phone call, and was tucking his cell into his pocket. He glanced up and saw Beatrix. The Heretic was unsure what facial expression to have, and remained fairly deadpan. 

“Rebekah is finally on her way,” called Elijah calmly, as if unfazed by her presence. He then disappeared back into one of the downstairs rooms.

Not long after, the brothers stepped out, and went to the main entrance as Rebekah walked in. They came upstairs, and beckoned Beatrix to follow them into the upstairs living room.

“I lost track of time,” sighed Rebekah. “I can’t gain any control. I went to Davina for help but nothing worked... It was this witch, Eva! The nocturnal cow is inside of me trying to bust her way out!”

“Freya is waiting downstairs,” said Elijah. “Perhaps we should—”

“Have you lost your mind?” snapped Klaus. “Tell me we’re not considering opening our sister’s head to someone we barely know! Beatrix is standing right here, and I’m sure she is perfectly capable of performing any spell that is needed!”

Rebekah let out a frustrated sigh. “Nik, for God’s sake, she is our sister! I don’t know if this is the kind of thing any one witch could do alone, either way! I’ve known Freya since she saved me from the Fauline Cottage!”

“An act no doubt meant to secure your trust! Perhaps for this very moment, to strike when we are vulnerable! No— we’ve no way of knowing that anything she said today is true.”

Elijah sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead. “Niklaus, I understand your concern. Both of us are powerless to help our sister. Now, either we leave Rebekah to suffer, or we place our faith in the hands of someone I believe to be our blood.” He glared at Klaus. “After all, you are more than eager to entrust Beatrix, who was not born a Mikaelson. You consider her to be kin. Therefore, I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to family. That means Freya.” He swept out of the room, no doubt to go retrieve the woman downstairs.

Klaus gritted his teeth, staring at Beatrix as if to say, ‘ _D’you see what I meant, earlier?_ ’

“I can help her, Klaus, then it won’t just be Freya aiding Rebekah,” she said, trying to be open-minded now that she knew how serious the situation was becoming. “Whatever the spell, she can teach it to me.”

Rebekah seemed pleased at this, and turned as Elijah escorted Freya back, greeting her very pleasantly. The woman most certainly looked like a Mikaelson. She bore several resemblances to the siblings and had the same intense look that was characteristic of them. 

Elijah began to explain the problem to Freya as she and Rebekah sat on the couch. Klaus, looking very annoyed, went off to the corner and sat down, drink in hand, facing the wall. Beatrix wanted to roll her eyes, but forced herself to remain focused on the task at hand.

“I can help,” said Freya, sounding sure of herself.

“Rather confident, aren’t we?” muttered Klaus loudly from his corner.

“The spirit of the host body is powerful,” continued Freya, ignoring Klays, “but I can cast a spell.” She put her hand on her sister’s cheek. “Put you in a deep sleep, and then suppress this other essence. You’ll be just fine.”

“Lovely,” said Rebekah nervously. “When do we start?”

At this, Klaus let out a loud groan. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. She spouts off some magical diagnosis, and we’re all supposed to applaud?”

“It’s actually very reasonable,” said Beatrix, going over to where he could see her. But by then, he’d decided to stand up and face them.

“Yes,” he said, “but for the sake of keeping our options open, why not write down your spells and incantations, that way we can have them double and triple-checked by an impartial third party? Say, Davina? She’d love to prove me wrong. And if they pass her, then Beatrix may criticize them.”

This made Freya look highly offended. “I doubt Davina would be able to understand by magic, let alone have the power to execute it. As for Beatrix, I’m sure she would have the power, but this magic is much more ancient than her, and even she might not fully comprehend it.”

“Oh, so you’re my only hope, then?” snapped Klaus. “Seems rather convenient, doesn’t it?”

Freya glared at him. “I knew it would be difficult to earn your trust, Niklaus. Your reputation precedes you.” Klaus shot her a mocking grin, but the witch did not falter. “If we are to face Dahlia together, you will have to trust me. Given the peril that Rebekah now faces, are you truly incapable of giving me even a chance to prove myself? I never even objected to your clear suggestions of having your chosen witch help me.” 

Klaus rolled his eyes, shooting Beatrix a look like, ‘ _can you believe this woman?_ ’ Elijah and Rebekah shot cold looks at their brother, but turned to their sister much more eagerly as she continued to speak. “I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all for a thousand years. Elijah— when you were in Esther’s womb, she would ask me to sing to you. I would feel her belly as I did…” she let out a gentle laugh, “how you would kick. She would say it was as it Thor himself had raised his hammer—”

“—and summoned thunder and lightning,” finished Elijah knowingly. He cast her a smile. “Mother rarely mentioned you, but when she did, she would say how enchanted you were by the prospect of my birth.”

“How I wanted more brothers,” sighed Freya. “And a sister—” she nodded to Rebekah, “more than anything. But between Esther and Dahlia, that wish was taken from me. I was ruined by those who raised me. If nothing else, at least we have that in common. There is nothing that can replace what was taken from us. But, I hope we can make something better in its place. All you have to do is trust me.”

Klaus, it seemed, had decided against trusting her. He sped toward Freya and snapped her neck before anyone could react.

“NIK!” screamed Rebekah. 

Klaus simply smirked triumphantly. “Well, that’s enough of that, don’t you think?” He let Freya’s body drop to the floor. “Right. Now we can have a proper family meeting.” 

“I’ll go set Freya down somewhere more comfortable,” sighed Beatrix, leaning down to pick her up. Klaus caught her arm.

“No,” he snapped. “You are staying right here.”

“Was it really absolutely necessary to snap her neck, Klaus?” Beatrix hissed.

“Oh, please, she was insufferable. Besides, you said yourself that if she were your sister, you wouldn’t make contact unless you knew you could trust her!”

“That was before I knew that Rebekah’s body was fighting to gain control of itself again! Besides, we weren’t even fully trusting her— she was going to let me help! You didn’t even try to see reason!”

“You’ve only just met her!” Klaus roared. “All of you! So let’s not get sentimental. Besides, if she was telling the truth about being immortal, she’ll awaken shortly. If she was lying, good riddance.”

“Yes,” chimed in Elijah sarcastically. “Of course, if she wakes, she’ll be willing to help us with unbridled enthusiasm. This was ridiculous, even for you, Niklaus!”

Klaus scoffed, clearly unbothered, and glared at his siblings. “She played you both for fools! Can you not see that? She spins a sad yarn about a small child taken by an evil witch, and you both fall over yourselves to mend what’s broken!”

“How can you be so certain?” Rebekah demanded.

“Simple— it’s _exactly_ what I’d do! My only question now is, what’s in it for her?”

“Well, whatever the truth may be, she’s in no position to help us now,” Elijah said impatiently.

“Then we should try Marcel,” said Rebekah, still glaring furiously at Klaus. “Perhaps he’s had luck on his end? Surely he’s put in better effort.” She stormed out of the room, and Elijah made to follow her.

“You know I’m right, Elijah!” Klaus bellowed. “We can’t have an alliance with someone we can’t trust!”

Elijah whirled around, unamused. “You don’t trust her, and that is your choice. I only hope that choice comes from a place of reason… not fear.” He left without another word, and Klaus just scoffed loudly.

“I thought the whole point of having me here to support you was because you were going to go about this rationally,” said Beatrix, pulling Freya up to lay on the couch. 

“Don’t chastise me, Beatrix,” huffed Klaus, pushing her aside and scooping Freya up. “I will not have her wake here, in my home. I will take her elsewhere. If her claim of immortality is true, I will see what truths she offers.”

He sped off, and Beatrix grumbled, going back to her room, and finding her phone had been buzzing for a long time already. 

“Hello?” she said, picking up the fifth call from Kai. “Someone better be ready to die.”

“You could be that someone if you’re interested in coming to Virginia for a killing spree against each other. For old times’ sake.”

“Is there a problem? Why do I have four missed calls from you?”

“Jeez, a guy can’t even call just to hear someone’s voice nowadays. Everything has to have an ulterior motive.”

“There’s always an underlying truth to the facade you put up, Kai,” said Beatrix with a cheeky smile. “Let’s not pretend you give a shit about me.”

“And here I thought you’d be thankful to hear my voice. Maybe you shouldn’t pretend you don’t dream about me all the time. You’re in _looooove_ with me.”

“I don’t dream,” she said, mocking him. “That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

“Touché. Whatcha doing?”

“Literally nothing.”

“Cool. Hop on a flight and get your ass over here, then.”

“Why are you so insistent on getting me to Mystic Falls? We never planned to stick together after we got out. Unless your plan is underway, I’m not making an effort to go anywhere.”

“Oh come on, Trixter, you’re my partner in crime. I’m used to wreaking havoc with you. It’s lonely, being a solo sociopath. Think of the fun we could have, going on a killing spree. Remember when we drowned each other in the bayou? I was watching this kid's show called _Avatar_ and they can bend all these elements like water, fire, air, and earth… and then I watched the first season of the sequel called _Legend of Korra_ … and I started thinking, we can probably do a lot of that stuff, especially if you let me siphon off of you. We could try and do this thing they call blood blending. Like, use magic to mimic them and make it murderous.”

“You’re making a kid’s show too dark, Kai,” sighed Beatrix. “I really don’t think that you should be thinking of that.”

“It’s not even a kid’s show, honestly! Like, the first show was super kid friendly but the sequel is much more mature. This first season, the main villain was blood bending bitches like no tomorrow! They haven’t released other seasons yet but I’m going to write to them to make it more intense. I have a suggestion for how they could make airbending totally evil… sucking the air out of someone’s lungs! No one’s done that yet.”

“Did you really just call to rant about a cartoon and try and persuade me to help you wreak havoc?”

“Duh. Why else would I call?”

“Because you miss me. Clearly, since you’re obsessed with talking to me.”

“Ew, don’t ever insinuate something like that again, Trixter. You’ll make me throw up.”

She laughed lightly and slumped onto her bed, letting out a quiet sigh. “You seem to be having a good time,” she murmured. “Must feel nice.”

“You wouldn’t be so miserable if you just left. Clearly, Elijah is fucked in the head.”

“It’s just complicated. I don’t want to leave.”

“Even though he’s not even fully committed to you? Come on, you told me your whole life story. He had a thing for you for decades and didn’t say anything. Then, you finally got together, and he thought his father killed you. A guy wouldn’t just brush all of that aside after seeing you again, almost a century later. How special can this other girl be? He’s obviously just met her and she’s definitely no Heretic. He’d be an idiot to not choose you. You two have so much history, and clearly, a lot of chemistry. The other chick is married and has an entire child with his younger brother. She’ll never completely be his.”

Beatrix remained silent. She had a lost look in her eyes, listening to Kai’s words and feeling them sink in. If she was not mistaken, he was letting her know that she was worth more. That she didn’t deserve to be the rebound girl or the second choice.

“You’re quiet because you know I’m right,” said Kai. “You could be free, having the time of your life, killing and planning the death of the Gemini Coven, the people that kept you away from Elijah this entire time. Yet, you’re choosing to stay because you haven’t internalized the fact that he’s taking you for granted.”

The brunette let out a soft laugh, covering her face. “It sounds to me like you’re saying I deserve better.”

“Yeah, I guess I am, then. Consider it.”

She knew that he really just wanted someone to be evil with. That he just wanted the thrill of killing others and probably her, while having her help him to become even more powerful. But there was a hint of concern in his voice. After eighteen years, he knew the most modern, impatient, and broken version of herself. Even Marcel didn’t know the truth behind a lot of her troubles, because she didn’t want to burden him.

“I’ll consider it,” she murmured back. “I should go to bed now. Good night. Um… thanks for that.”

“Aw, don’t get soft on me, Trixter, I’m still driven by a need for blood.”

He hung up, and she was left alone once more. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Rebekah’s condition practically worsened overnight, and Beatrix was shaken awake very unceremoniously by Klaus.**

“What the fuck is happening,” she mumbled sleepily, still not even fully conscious. 

“Get up, and hurry,” he said, looking angry. “She’s lost it. Tried to attack Hope just now, and she’s kidnapped Davina and several other witch children. Up! Before I pull you up myself.”

“Jeez, let me open my eyes,” she said, stumbling up and quickly starting to get ready.

“Meet me downstairs,” said the hybrid gruffly before speeding out of the room. The Heretic groaned and quickly got dressed and cleaned up before darting down to where Klaus and Freya were gazing at the painting of Rebekah on the wall.

“Finally,” huffed Klaus, glad to not be alone with Freya anymore. “Now, you said that you could put Rebekah back in her original body. Do it. Beatrix will assist you.”

The blonde laughed in amusement. “So, you’ve come to your senses?”

“My senses have not faltered— they still demand that you are not to be trusted,” Klaus clarified. “However, circumstance dictates otherwise…. For now. Eva Sinclair has resumed control of her body, leaving Rebekah trapped and powerless. So make with your spells and enchantments and put my sister back in her true body!”

Freya sighed in frustration. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“More stalling,” said Klaus darkly. “Very well. I know I can’t kill you, but I shall have a fine time trying. Tell me, have you ever been skinned alive?”

“I think what she means is that it won’t be as simple anymore,” said Beatrix worriedly.

“Exactly,” agreed Freya. “When I offered to help, Rebekah was in control of Eva’s body. She’s lost inside Eva. I don’t have a spell that could breach Eva’s mind and find her.”

“Well, fortunately for you, I know someone well-versed in such spells,” said Klaus. He walked over to a wooden box he had set on one of the outdoor chairs and opened it, speeding over to Freya and slapping some shackles onto her before she could react. He cast her a wicked smirk and beckoned for her and Beatrix to follow. “Let’s go meet her, shall we?”

Of course, Beatrix knew exactly what to expect. But it sucked immensely for Klaus to not have given Freya any sort of heads up. They entered the Lyonne tomb, where Esther had previously had Elijah all tied up. Klaus beckoned the two women inside, looking very smug.

“I fail to see the need for these,” said Freya when he didn’t immediately remove the shackles. “I’m not your enemy.”

“Oh, they’re not to protect me, love!” he said cheerfully. “They’re to protect her— the one who knows more about mind-invasion and body-jumping than all of us put together.” He moved forward and tossed two blood bags into the darkest corner of the tomb. A hand reached out, and took the bags, gulping them down quickly and coming out into the very dim light. Freya immediately leapt back, but Klaus held her in place. “Mother? Freya. Freya? Mother. And you both have already met Beatrix.”

Esther could care less that Beatrix was there. She stared up at her eldest in disbelief. “It… can’t be,” she whispered.

“You won’t trust me, but you’ll trust her?” Freya snarled, staring back at Klaus.

The hybrid shook his head. “I trust my mother about as much as I would a stuck snake. Fortunately, she is now a vampire, and as such, she’s vulnerable to my compulsion.” He moved forward and grabbed Esther by the face. “You will answer me truthfully.” Pleased with himself, he yanked her toward Freya. “There! Now at least everything that comes out of her wretched mouth will be honest. Let’s raid Mommy Dearest’s mind for spells, shall we?”

Esther didn’t seem fazed by this. She looked up at Freya in wonder, coming closer with her arms extended. “My beautiful girl. My firstborn!”

“Touch me, and I will use these chains to strangle you!” snapped Freya.

Well, at least now Beatrix could see exactly where Freya and Klaus bore resemblances to each other. 

“Yes, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, let’s begin, shall we?” said Klaus, turning to Esther. It appears your _delightful_ sister Dahlia is on her way to New Orleans, hell-bent on stealing my child. I need Rebekah back in her original body so she can help me destroy her.”

Esther’s face went pale. “Your child?” she breathed.

Klaus rolled his eyes in response. “Oh, I suppose it is difficult keeping up on current events whilst rotting inside a tomb.” Rubbing his hands together, he moved closer to the woman. “Very well. The short version? My child is alive. Dahlia is on her way. Now, the previous tenant of Rebekah's body has seized control and isn't keen on giving it up. Young Freya here, although powerful, lacks the spell to put Rebekah back in her true body. And that's where _you_ come in.” He grabbed Esther by the shoulders, glaring into her eyes. “ need you to be a dear and dig deep into that ex-witch mind of yours and give me the spell that puts Rebekah back.” He shoved a piece of paper into her hands.

Esther, albeit looking very bitter, went to the side of the tomb where there was an elevated surface she could write on. She began to write the spell, but it was certainly taking a long time. Esther was clearly in no rush making her diagrams and triangles, which made Klaus and Freya look highly impatient, while Beatrix was having a grand time playing Candy Crush on her phone.

“What is taking so long?” said Klaus in annoyance. “You didn't tarry when you attempted to kill my child!”

His mother glared up, looking hurt. “I took no joy in that! I knew if your daughter lived, Dahlia would come, not only for her, but for all of you! And however you may despise me, I would not wish that upon you.”

“How touching!” Klaus snapped.

“Isn’t it?” agreed Freya bitterly. “I always wondered what maternal compassion sounded like. Of course, I wouldn't know, since you sold me into slavery at the age of five!”

The witch huffed. “When I made that bargain with my sister, I had no idea what it _meant_ to be a mother! I thought if I had a dozen children, I would not miss the one. And then, you were born. You were beautiful. You had a light about you that put a smile on the face of the hardest man I had _ever_ known. And when Dahlia took you, I thought that same light might warm her embittered heart. That you might lead a good life.”

This only seemed to further enrage the eldest Mikaelson. “A good life? You were my mother! You should have come for me!”

Esther didn’t disagree. “Yes, I should have. But, it would have been a mistake.” She turned to her son. “The same mistake you will be making if you let this girl help you.”

“For God’s sake, speak plainly!” Klaus snarled. 

Esther moved toward him. “The light I saw in Freya as a child, it's gone. While she was mine for five years, Dahlia was her mentor for a thousand. And, like her mentor, she will offer to solve your problem, but for a _price_.”

“There is no price!” said Freya angrily. I love them—” She launched herself toward her mother, but Beatrix leapt forward and held her back.

“No violence until she’s finished writing the spell, please!” chided Klaus, staring at Esther. “Honestly, it’s all temper and no timing with this one.” he chuckled lightly. “I, for one, am glad you gave her away so that I could be born. You should think of me as an upgrade!”

“What an insensitive thing you say, you abominable little wart,” Beatrix snapped as she kept Freya at bay. Klaus seemed amused at her reaction. “Well, well, Beatrix, what input would you like to give?”

“I’m not looking to give input. You’re not even trying to be understanding of what she went through!” she snapped. “She suffered and if you don’t learn to cooperate, the same fate will befall your daughter! Doesn’t the story even sound familiar to you? A child taken from her mother? The last time you heard that tale, you were at the very least sympathetic!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Beatrix, where have I ever heard that story before?”

“With me!” she hissed, making Klaus’s smile drop. “The witches took me from my mother by force because of what I was! You were sympathetic when I told you how they tore me away, how they tormented me, training me incessantly and still thinking I wouldn’t even survive! And yet, when Freya presents a worse story, where she was given willingly and was tortured even more, you don’t even think to feel bad for her! Do you really want Hope to experience that? Because the way you’re acting, you’re paving the way to make Dahlia’s path incredibly easy to snatch her up.”

The hybrid was silent, and Beatrix let go of the blonde witch, stepping back and glaring at Klaus, challenging him to argue against her. He did not, and she huffed. 

“It’s done,” said Esther not long after, handing the spell to Freya. She looked it over, and her face went quite pale. 

“I-I can’t do this,” she said. “This spell requires an enormous amount of power.”

“Which you have, especially between the two of you,” said Esther. 

“And that power needs to be anchored,” continued Freya, “or I'll be lost inside Eva's mind along with Rebekah. Unlike your magic, mine isn't anchored to any one place— because of you,” she looked up at her mother, “I have no home.”

“Perhaps,” she mused. “But, there is no other spell.”

Freya thought for a moment, then looked up at Klaus. “You. I can use you as my anchor. I'll channel your power while I breach Eva's mind.”

“And there it is,” said Esther, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at her daughter. “The price. If she channels you, she will have access to your mind, past and present. She will know _everything_ about you.”

Klaus began to pace around the tomb, refraining from looking at Beatrix. “All All of my strategies and all of my secrets laid bare to give to Dahlia. You must think I'm a fool, Freya.”

“Unless it’s not a trick,” said a new voice. They turned, and Elijah came into the tomb. “I’ll be the anchor.”

“Brother, I think not,” said Klaus sharply. 

“Brother,” Elijah retorted, “whatever this is, _nothing_ must prevent us from saving our sister. I will _not_ lose Rebekah.”

Klaus scoffed. “Oh yes, by all means, let's give Dahlia's _whelp_ access to all the information she needs to destroy us!”

“And since when do we heed the words of this serpent?” challenged Elijah, pointing to Esther.

“ENOUGH!” screamed Freya suddenly, yanking her arms down and breaking through her shackles. She flicked her wrist and Klaus’s neck snapped, making him crumple to the floor. The blonde glared down at her brother’s unconscious body with cruel mirth. “For an upgraded model, you’re not very sharp.” She looked up at Elijah and Beatrix. “Let’s go. Now.”

“Where are we headed to, exactly?” inquired Beatrix.

“The warehouse where Eva has kept the captured children,” said Elijah. “We have her, and everything is ready.”

“Start reading up,” said Freya, handing Beatrix the paper where Esther had written the spell. 

When they arrived to said warehouse, Beatrix wasn’t sure how she felt. Marcel was waiting there with Eva Sinclair’s unconscious body in his arms. Beside him was the man whose body Finn had previously taken, now upright. 

“Um, what the fuck?” said Beatrix. “Didn’t you blow up in a fire?”

“The real Finn is in my pendant,” said Freya, holding a necklace. “That is Vincent Griffith. He’s all better now.”

Beatrix awkwardly nodded her head to him. Freya began to prepare the materials according to Esther’s spell— a figure of salt and herbs on the floor, turned into a triangle with a white candle at each peak. They laid Eva down in the center, and Vincent and Marcel laid on either side of her, taking her hand.

“Beatrix and I will act as a bridge into her mind,” said Freya, taking Elijah’s hand. “But I’m trusting you to help Beatrix anchor me, brother.”

“Do what you need to do,” he told her, nodding his head. 

“Rebekah is buried deep,” said Freya. “Eva will not give her up without a fight.”

“Then she gets a fight,” said Marcel confidently, looking over at Beatrix and offering her a smile.

“Be careful,” she told him with a gentle voice. “Eva’s mind will be a dangerous place. If she kills you in there, you will be _lost_. And, if you kill her before you free Rebekah, then _Rebekah_ will be gone forever. Once you have Rebekah, then, and _only_ then, can Eva be dealt with.”

Vincent let out a deep breath. “We got it.”

Freya moved to kneel beside Vincent. “You’ll need a weapon.” She extracted a knife out of her boot.

“How am I supposed to take that with me?” he inquired.

Freya clutched the knife to her chest. “ _Lamina ferri in mentem. Lamina ferri in mentem.”_ She stopped and grimaced at Vincent. “This is going to hurt.” She stabbed him in the arm with the knife. He let out a scream of pain, but suddenly went unconscious, followed by Marcel.

“You’re sure what we’re doing is going to work?” said Beatrix worriedly as she took Freya’s hand, and the blonde held onto her brother’s hand.

“Yes,” she said. “But it’s up to you and Elijah to keep me anchored down the best you can. You’re a lot safer because you were born here, from what I was told.”

Gulping slightly, Beatrix closed her eyes, and the two witches began to chant loudly. “ _Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus._ ”

Beatrix let out a grunt of pain as she chanted. She’d never done a spell that required this much power— not with only one other witch. In her travels, she had performed massive spells with entire covens, all their hands linked. This hurt like a _bitch_. Involuntarily, her and Freya’s backs arched to painful levels, their heads falling back. Elijah groaned as he struggled to hold Freya down, and Beatrix forced herself to straighten up, gripping her tightly so that there would be no way they’d lose their connection. 

It felt like a horrible, painful eternity. Over and over again. “ _Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus._ ” Beatrix felt her eyes watering in effort, her chest tightening. She and Freya were chanting louder each time to keep a hold, and it was becoming increasingly harder for Elijah to keep Freya down. He yelled in frustration, and Beatrix cracked an eye slightly open, seeing Vincent’s body shaking wildly on the floor. Something was wrong. 

“ _Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus._ ”

Elijah let out another yell. “I’m losing them!” cried Freya, who could more clearly sense that the others were not faring so well.

Beatrix fought back a whimper, forcing herself to keep chanting. She had no choice. It was either continue and give them a chance to save Rebekah, or lose them. “ _Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus._ ”

Suddenly, someone grasped her hand. She opened her eyes and saw Klaus, who had arrived and was now holding onto both her and Freya. 

“We're not finished, you and I,” he said in a hard voice, glaring at Freya, who was in shock. “But, for right now? Save my sister.”

The witch nodded. “ _Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus._ ” 

Then, suddenly, Marcel and Vincent were gasping loudly, and sitting up. The four that were standing were thrown apart, and Beatrix nearly fell, but composed herself quickly and ran to Marcel’s side. “Are you hurt? What happened?” she said, helping him stand up. 

“I’m fine,” he breathed. “I-I think it worked but—” he stopped, listening as a small noise in the background. Davina. He sped to another room, and Beatrix heard Davina call his name. It made her smile slightly, thinking how his first thought had been to check on the girl that was basically his daughter. 

Beatrix turned back to where Vincent was tending to the wound on his arm. She knelt beside Eva’s body, putting her hands on her chest, siphoning the rest of whatever magic held her down. With a loud gasp, she sat up, and smiled, breathing in relief. “Bloody hell!” she sighed. “That feels much better.”

“Hi, Bex,” said Beatrix happily, pulling her into a hug. “Let’s get you home, alright?” She helped her to her feet, looking back where Freya was wiping sweat off of her forehead. Klaus was off to the side, looking as though he was wanting to say ‘thank you’ but didn’t want to appear soft. 

By the time they arrived back to the Mikaelson compound, Beatrix felt ready to collapse. She’d put Rebekah to bed, and had made sure to check that Davina was alright. She’d hugged Marcel before he left, but had not spoken anything to Elijah afterward. She went to her room, curling up under her blankets and laying on her side, her phone in her hand and playing Candy Crush again. Against her better instincts, she abandoned the game and went to dial Kai’s number. 

“It’s late as hell,” he answered with a yawn. 

“I know. I just drained myself so much doing this really cool spell. Want to hear about it?”

“Sure.”

“Basically, Rebekah was put in someone else’s body, and that person was fighting for control, and the eldest sister— Freya— and I had to do this really complicated spell to get her back. It was insane. It felt… painful…. But it was such a rush.”

“Okay, we get it, you’re a masochist. We’ve known that since you established how you banged all the Mikaelson brothers.”

“Holy fuck, not _all_ of them.”

“Oh, that’s right, you haven’t had Finn yet. That’s the one that was in the coffin but is now dead. There goes your streak.”

“You’re a pain. I shouldn’t have called you.”

“But you did, didn’t you? You sound…. Nice. Not like, it sounds nice to hear your voice— definitely not that. But you seem to be in a really good mood.”

Beatrix laughed lightly. “Yeah, I guess I am in a kinda good mood.”

“What’s Elijah got to say?”

“Nothing. I was hearing the other day that he’s talking a lot to this new vampire girl named Gia. Apparently an excellent violinist.”

“Dick move. Doesn’t even have the balls to be upfront about anything.”

“Ugh, tell me about it. He gets all butthurt that I didn’t want to sleep with him the other day if I was just going to be the rebound, and now, he’s occupying his mind with another girl. He’s… so different now. His mother really did a number on him when she had him trapped. It’s like, he’s not holding back any of his innermost desires anymore.”

“So basically, he’s humping everything in sight.”

“Ew, that makes him sound like a fucking rabbit.”

“Well, he would basically be one if he could procreate. It’s been… how long? A few months and he’s had three of you, it seems.”

“I don’t even want to think how many kids he and the others would have if they could procreate. Holy crap, they’d probably be significantly large numbers… especially from Klaus. Ugh, but then Dahlia would have a whole hoard of firstborns for her stupid itinerary…”

“Ooh, if you could be like, the mother of their kid, whose kid would it be?”

“Excuse me?”

“Like, if you could either have Elijah or Klaus’s baby, whose would it be?”

“I understood that. It’s just a really fucking weird question. I mean, Klaus and I already co-parented once before. He’s not a _bad_ dad. Could be better, though. As for Elijah… fuck, I don’t know. He’s not on my good side right now.”

“You and I would make such cute kids. They’d be perfect little psychopaths.”

“Jesus, absorbing Luke did more damage to you than I thought. After murdering your siblings, I wouldn’t have ever pictured you to be talking about having kids.”

“Oh, it’s just a hypothetical statement. Fuck kids. I don’t want any. I don’t want there to be any other members of the Gemini Coven— _ever_.”

“Make sure to remember that statement when you’re debating not wrapping your willy.”

“It’s never a debate. I always wrap it.”

“Hmm, I don’t recall you ever doing that with me.”

“Okay, well, it’s different with you, you're a vampire. You can’t get pregnant. That’s reality.”

“Ooh, does that imply you’ve been having fun with mortal girls then?”

“Um, yeah, what else would I be doing?”

“Ruining cartoons for kids all over the world. Let me guess, your days are an endless cycle of waking up, watching cartoons, pinpointing minor details in your plan to kill the Gemini Coven, going to a bar and finding a girl, taking her home, sending her home when you’re done, and going to sleep just to repeat it everyday.”

“Well, when you put it like that, you make me sound like such a manwhore.”

Beatrix snorted. “And you’re not one?”

“Ouch. Someone’s deprived.”

“I am _not_ deprived.”

“You’ve had sex once since you got out. You’re deprived. Seriously though, you’re in a good mood right now. Go get laid.”

“I’m tired right now, though, I’m not in the mood for that.”

“Get un-tired, then, damn. It can’t be that hard for a witch of your caliber.”

“I’ve never been one to just sleep with random people. It took us what, five years to get in bed together?”

“That doesn’t count. You know why? Neither of us ever expressed an interest— we literally only did it to get our needs met. Sure, toward the end, it was tolerable to me—”

“Fuck, you’re making me sound like a terrible partner, Kai.”

“Aw, are your feelings hurt? You know that’s not what I mean, either way. I have a very difficult time appreciating things in the moment, and it’s only ever in hindsight that I can understand how good I had it. Comes with being a sociopath. Anyway—”

“Wait, wait, wait. It almost sounded like you implied that you really liked it, but just didn’t say it in the moment.”

Kai went silent for a bit. “I never said that,” he said a bit more defensively. “I’m going to sleep now. Go bone someone so you’re not so annoying.”

When he hung up, she wasn’t surprised. Groaning, she stretched her legs out and rolled over in bed. Kai was right about one thing, she had needs and she was most certainly now in the mood for it. Knowing she’d regret this later, but having no other alternatives, she marched right out of bed, still in her pajamas, and went out onto the balcony, peering at some of the werewolves gathered below. 

She couldn’t necessarily just yell— “ _who’s in the mood for some boning?_ ” So, of course, she went downstairs, initially ignoring their stares and pretending she was just going to get a glass of water. At this point, she didn’t care that she didn’t know them. When she began to walk back, she cast them a look, and a few glanced up, offering her a smile. She winked back, holding up her glass of water and drinking a bit of it, acting as though she was heading to the stairs. This was completely reckless of her. She’d never once even thought of doing something like this. And yet, she was too annoyed with Elijah to care. 

Leaning against the railing, she locked eyes with one of the wolves who hadn’t stopped staring. She nodded her head slightly, beckoning him to follow. There was no hesitation in his eyes when he stood, patting one of his fellow pack members on the back before making his way over to her.

“I almost forgot you lived here,” he mused once she started going up the stairs. He followed behind in an eager trot. “We hardly ever see you out and about.”

“I’m not big on being seen,” she giggled lightly. “I’m actually really used to hiding from the public eye in here.”

He chuckled. She peered back over her shoulder, observing his face. She’d definitely seen him somewhere before, but she didn’t know his name at all. Messy hair, but a clean shaven face. Tall and with a strong built. Cute for sure. 

“I don’t know if you remember, but I was one of the wolves at the graveyard,” he said. “That day that you all tried to save Oliver.”

“Oh,” she said. “Jeez, I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.” 

“I wouldn’t expect you to. I got one glimpse of you and you knocked me out with that spell.”

“Fuck,” she said, casting him a crooked smile. “Extra sorry about that.”

“No worries. It was pretty impressive."

She opened the door to her room, pulling him inside, and closing it behind her, clicking the look, muttering the silencing spell under her breath. 

He crashed his lips to her, and that night, she felt better than she had in awhile. Unceasing movements and dirty words whispered between heavy breaths, continuing until she became too tired to deny her sleep any longer. It was the kind of release she needed, relief of pleasure without attachments. When it was over, there was no tension. It was an unspoken agreement that it had been nice, but there was no need to make a big deal about it. 

This seemed to be a good way to heal. 


	21. Chapter 21

**The morning after was only weird because of Klaus.**

“Bloody fucking hell, Beatrix, you could have done us the courtesy of a Silencing Spell,” he said loudly at breakfast when she sat down with a bowl of cereal. 

Her first instinct: pure panic. Her second instinct: to question it.

“Wait, what?” she said, her cheeks pink. “What— what do you mean—? I cast one!”

Klaus’s devilish smirk persisted. “Oh yes, you did. But it was fun all the same to see the terror on your face when you doubted your abilities for an instant.”

“Bastard,” she hissed.

As luck would have it, there wasn’t even time to laugh about that. Because even when she’d been left having breakfast alone while Klaus had gone into town, she’d soon been bombarded with the sound of angry voices. She’d finished eating and set her utensils away, rushing back into the dining room just as a very angry looking Klaus returned, followed by Hayley, Elijah, Rebekah, and Freya.

“Isn’t that the point of a fortress?” snapped Klaus. “It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?”

“Okay!” growled Hayley in return. “We get it. Now, let’s just figure out what the hell we’re gonna do!”

“What I would like to do is take a strong leash—”

“Children, please,” said Elijah sharply, holding his hand up. “Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right.”

Hayley shot Klaus a smug look, and Beatrix slowly stepped forward. “What happened?”

“Dahlia,” said Freya, looking worried. “The spell she just used— she calls it ‘kenning’— using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But I’ve never seen it done on quite this scale.”

“Oh, crap,” said Beatrix. “I haven’t heard of someone doing that in ages. She’s _here_?”

“Yes,” said Hayley, gritting her teeth. “Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential _spy_.”

“The good news is I know a little about how her magic works,” she said. “I will be right back, I have ingredients for a tonic that will prevent her, at least, from using it on any of us.”

She darted out, and Beatrix reached her hand up to rub the back of her head. “So, the bitch is finally here.”

“Yes, which means your time stuck in your room is quite over,” said Klaus roughly. “How much do you know about the spell Dalia did?”

“Quite a bit. But the last time I saw it done was in Spain, and it barely worked. Not a lot of witches have the power to do that. How many people, exactly, were part of it?”

“The entire strip of a street,” said Hayley. “Everyone just turned to look at us… it was a huge crowd.”

“That’s concerning. Dahlia’s old, sure, which means she has a lot of power, but for something that big…”

Freya returned just then, with cups of a brown liquid. Beatrix moved forward and sniffed one, gagging. “Yep, this is definitely going to keep Dahlia out…” Rebekah and Freya mimicked Beatrix and each took a cup, but the others were hesitant.

“Well, come on!” prompted Rebekah. “This should work like a charm.”

Elijah and Hayley moved forward to grab cups, but Klaus stared at them with distaste. “Bottoms up,” urged Rebekah, and the five with cups downed them. Elijah took the last cup and offered it to Klaus, who had no intention of reaching forward. “Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?” 

Klaus shrugged. “I prefer biscuits with my tea.”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

“Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells,” muttered Klaus. 

“Sweet Jesus, can you just drink it?” hissed Beatrix.

Klaus ignored her. “No— what we experienced was a test— Dahlia’s watching to see how we respond to aggression. She’s preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later.”

“Well, if she’s watching us, she would know that we have our own army,” said Hayley.

“She also knows where we are,” mused Elijah. “And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft.”

“That’s a fine strategy,” said Freya. “I offer another— we can use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source. Find out _exactly_ where she is.”

There was a silence as everyone looked over at Hayley. From what Beatrix gathered, Jackson must have been one of the people overtaken by Dahlia’s spell. “Fine, do it,” the Alpha said at last, looking reluctantly at Freya.

Klaus’s lips curled into a satisfied grin. “Good! Then it’s settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. _So_ , I'm going to find a way to _murder_ that godforsaken witch. Beatrix, a word.”

While the others dispersed, she slowly moved toward Klaus. “Let me guess, you want me to do something for you.”

“Do you believe Davina’s magic is properly up to par for any important tasks?” he inquired instead.

“Um, yes. Why?”

“Oh, because I will require that little witch’s services soon. As for you, I would very much like if you upped the protective spells around this compound. Am I to assume I can trust you with that?”

Beatrix glared at him. “Klaus, I’ve told you several times that my power has always been strongest here. I was born here. You sired me in this city, a few blocks down from where we are. Dahlia may be way older than me, but I have a very strong foothold here. She’d need the entire French Quarter Coven backing her up to get in.”

Klaus smirked devilishly. “For someone who had such fun last night, you’re in a terrible mood today.”

“No thanks to you.” She left the room and returned to her own, preparing her spell before returning out to the main doors. She put her hand against the wall, concentrating hard and closing her eyes. “ _Obice chránit zachovat, zámek jiřina fora. Bariéra praesidio serva, cicinno pany jiřina foras venku_.”

She felt a pinching and pulling sensation in her gut and exhaled loudly as she felt the barrier go up around the compound. Without her say so, no one could come in. She had allowed for those currently inside to leave, since they were already there, but unless she gave them permission to return inside, they’d be stuck outside if they left. 

Pleased with herself, she had gone to where the others were gathered with Jackson. What she found was Freya walking out the door, looking overwhelmed.

“Freya,” said Beatrix quickly, catching her by the shoulders. “What happened?”

“It— it’s nothing,” she said immediately. 

“Hey, talk to me,” she insisted, coming to stand in front of her. She looked back into the room she’d been in and saw Hayley and Rebekah glaring up at Freya as she left, Jackson laying on the table and groaning.

“Dahlia’s channeling me,” said Freya weakly. “I didn’t know— but it… it’s safer that I leave.” She brushed past Beatrix and walked quickly to one of the other rooms where she’d set down a bag she had. 

Beatrix sped to her side. “Freya, you clearly didn’t know. They might be playing it safe by showing doubt but I don’t think it means you should leave.”

Freya shook her head. “I appreciate this, Beatrix. But you’re more than capable of doing everything that is needed. I don’t want to give Dahlia an upper hand in getting Hope. I can sense the barrier spell you put up— you have a very good amount of power. I’ve known it since I first met you in 1914… you are radiant and strong. Please, protect my niece in a way that I can’t.”

“I beg of you— don’t go! You can stay in my room, you don’t need to partake in the tasks but you can’t leave!”

“Yes, I can, and I need to,” she insisted, pushing her aside and stepping out of the barrier, and disappearing down the corner on the street.

The rest of the day was downright terrible from there. Beatrix had tried to talk to Hayley and Rebekah about it, but they both adamantly believed that Freya was better off out of the borders of the compound. Annoyed, Beatrix had occupied herself casting some protective spells in Hope’s room specifically, taking the time to chat with her niece, who could give no input other than giggles and the occasional squeal of agreement (or disagreement? She’d never truly know what Hope’s opinion on the matter was).

“You’re too good for this world, darling,” sighed Beatrix as she held the little girl in her arms, bouncing her gently. “You make me want to be a mama. Well, not that I haven’t technically been one before… it’s just different. You’re a perfect little joy. Sweet little thing. And powerful, too, hmm? You’re going to do great things, princess, I know it.”

Hope had merely cooed and reached for Beatrix’s short locks of hair, pulling at them with great interest. The Heretic had smiled and gone to peer out the window. No trace of Freya, or Klaus. She wondered if those two realized how alike they were. The same fiery temper. The death glare. 

“Your auntie Freya will be back, I know it,” mused Beatrix as she sat down with her niece in her arms. “Let’s think happy thoughts, hmm? One day, we’ll all live in a massive mansion by the bayou, so that you can learn to swim and run in the same places I did. Your mama and Jackson will have a strong pack of wolves that will love and adore you, and teach you many things, so that if you ever trigger your werewolf side, you know your roots. I think a lot of baby wolves struggle with that. Too many of them have no idea where they come from, and it just pains me to hear stories of how they suffer.”

She paused to think, rocking the baby lightly. “Let’s see, what else… um, your uncle Kol will be back in his original body and he’ll be happy with your probably soon-to-be auntie Davina. Then your auntie Freya can live there with whoever she fancies. I can imagine that— Freya, Davina, and I teaching you magic… that’ll be really fun.

“Your papa, I think, likes Cami. I could see them being together, that might make him pleasant. Your auntie Bex and Marcel might finally tie the knot… and maybe one day, your uncle Elijah and I will be together again. Somehow, with science and magic, I’m sure one day we’ll be able to have more kids for you to play with. Once we defeat your looney great-aunt Dahlia, so that you’re not in any danger, sweet one. You could have a lot of little cousins and maybe be a big sister, if your mama and Jackson have a baby. We’ll see how this all goes.”

It wasn’t until later in the evening that Elijah arrived. Almost immediately, things went to shit again, because he’d come back and found that Freya was not there.

“What do you mean ‘she’s gone?’” Beatrix heard him ask sharply downstairs. 

“She was a risk—” she heard Hayley counter.

“—she was also the only one who intimately knows the enemy we now face!”

“Both of you, just stop it!” cried Rebekah, which made Beatrix set the sleeping Hope back in her crib and speed down as the others kept arguing.

“I was protecting Hope from someone who it’s obvious none of us completely trust!” fumed Hayley.

“Correct, we’ve done nothing but doubt Freya!” said Elijah, frustrated. “Nevertheless, she kept her promised, and she saved Rebekah’s life. We certainly haven’t demonstrated the same kindness towards her.”

“So what the bloody hell do we do now?” said Beatrix loudly. 

Elijah turned to Hayley. “There is a jazz club in Algiers by the name of the St. James Infirmary. Marcel has acquired it, and Josephine is fortifying it as a sanctuary against magic. Pack your things. Marcel will escort you and Hope there tonight at nine o'clock.” He faced Rebekah and Beatrix. “We will wait for Freya, if she should return. Whether we trust her or not, we cannot win this fight without her.”

He walked out before any could answer, letting them know that he very much expected them to abide by what he’d said. Beatrix huffed, and looked at the other women. “First of all, who the hell is Josephine?”

“Josephine La Rue, Regent of the Nine Covens of New Orleans,” said Rebekah. 

Beatrix gritted her teeth. “Oh, great, I trust her even less than Freya, considering it was thanks to those nine covens that the Geminis got me in the first place.” She then turned to Hayley. “I get that you wanted to protect your daughter, but you really shouldn’t have sent Freya away in the first place. She’s trying to help. We could have put her somewhere else.”

Hayley seemed to have had it with people telling her what to do that day. Her eyes flashed amber and gold as she stepped toward Beatrix. “Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter,” she said coldly. “You’re not a mother.”

“I don’t think I need to be a mother to give my niece’s best interests in mind. May I remind you that it’s me who understands magic, and not you?”

“She is not your niece!”

“But she is Freya’s, and you ran her off!”

“Please stop,” Rebekah pleaded in the background, but neither woman was listening.

“Don’t chastise me for trying to keep my daughter safe!” snapped Hayley. “Just because I don’t understand magic doesn’t mean I’m an idiot!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Marshall, I was never insinuating anything like that—”

“Then shut your trap, La Salle, I don’t even trust you either!”

“Oh, no, why would I _ever_ expect you to trust me? I’ve only been doing every little thing to protect her since I got out of a fucking prison world, with hardly any breaks!”

“And whose fault is it that you got imprisoned in the first place?”

“Please, we just fucking established that it’s thanks to the idiotic New Orleans covens—”

“ENOUGH!” 

Elijah had come back, and he was glaring at the two of them. “Clearly, I have fostered animosity between the two of you,” he said, his jaw twitching lightly. “But we have established that we’re all here trying to keep Hope safe. That will not happen if we don’t function as a unit.” He faced Hayley. “Beatrix has been kind enough to cast very powerful spells around this compound and your daughter’s room to keep her safe from Dahlia. She may not be Mikaelson blood but she is family.” He turned back to Beatrix. “Hayley is doing what any mother would do— what you would have done for Marcel— play it safe. While I would not have wished it to have happened as it did, I cannot say I blame her for the choice she made.”

“You were just hounding her about it!” snapped Beatrix, livid. “Now you want to come and defend her just because she started an argument with me, to not seem like you’re playing favorites?”

“You know very well that you were the one who started it, Beatrix— I heard your comment.”

“I didn’t think she was going to snarl at me for it!”

“I did not snarl at you!” spat Hayley. “Come at me again with smack talk like that and _then_ we’ll see how I snarl!”

“Oh please, I’d destroy your body from the inside out without much effort— before you could even lay a hand on me!”

“BEATRIX!” said Elijah angrily, pushing her back as she impulsively made to move toward Hayley. “That is quite enough.”

The Heretic glared at Hayley, her chest rising and falling hard as Elijah kept moving her away. “I will retrieve another piano key if you cannot control yourself,” he threatened.

“Get all the stupid piano keys you want!” Beatrix hissed. “I’m not putting my magic away— I’ll never let you force me into that again!”

_“How could you?”_

_Elijah was in the doorway of her room, looking livid. “Itza, how could you?” he repeated angrily. “You take your magic back without telling us, and knowing how dangerous it was, followed along with Kol’s agenda of mischief!”_

_“It’s my magic, I could take it back whenever I please!” said Beatrix in a hard voice. Elijah and Klaus did not yet know why she and Kol had been looking for the paragon diamond in the first place. She hadn’t wanted them to know._

_“I asked you to put it away in 1903 for a reason! You’re in danger every day that you have it coursing through your veins!”_

_“I knew the risks, and I assure you, I thought it all through! I don’t want to give my magic up again, Elijah, I refuse! It’s been a decade already— I’m sure it’ll be fine.”_

_“Tell me what you and Kol are up to,” he implored. “Tell me, and I will try to understand.”_

_“Elijah, no— it’s not anything bad—”_

_“Tell me!” he said, his eyes flashing with fury. “Tell me right now because I am seeking to understand why you would give up your safety to help him! I want you to give me a good reason why you made such a reckless decision!”_

_“I have no bloody obligation to tell you!” she had snarled, trying to brush past him._

_He had grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the nearest wall, pinning her wrists painfully behind her back. He extracted the piano key from his pocket, and turned her to face him, forcing the piano key into her hands and then restraining her again. “Put. It. Back,” he demanded._

_“No!” she hissed, trying to get out of his hold. “Elijah— get the hell off of me!”_

_“Put the magic back, now! I will not lose you because my brother coaxed you into being reckless with him! Klaus is going to demand you to help him again if you don’t put it away, and your cover will be blown!”_

_“I don’t care! I’m not putting my magic—”_

_He’d thrust his hand into her chest, wrapping his hand around her heart. She’d choked, her eyes going wide. Never before had she imagined he would do something like this to her. Her eyes had teared up as searing pain shot through her body. “Put the magic back,” he said lowly, squeezing her heart once as an obvious threat._

_Fearing for her life, she’d had no choice. She had let her essence drain into the piano key, and had slumped back weakly, letting him know it was done. He snatched up the piano key and tucked it away, before releasing her heart, and leaving her gasping against the wall. She glared up at him furiously. “Fuck you,” she’d hissed._

_“My darling, Itza,” he said quietly. “I do not wish to see you harmed by the Gemini Coven. Your magic is going to the same place it has always been. I am not permanently taking it from you. I just wish you to understand how afraid I am of losing you.”_

“I’m just trying to keep Hope safe,” Beatrix insisted, wanting Elijah to understand. “I’m not having another bloody episode, so you don’t need to make any threats.”

“You’re certain of that?” he challenged, like he didn’t believe her.

_“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!”_

_It was 1917. She hadn’t had her magic in three years, and after the Christmas disaster when Klaus had nearly killed her and Kol had been daggered, she seemed to slowly be dissociating from herself and the others, having been losing her sense of a connection with the world._

_She’d never been this angry. She’d always had a temper, but this was a fit of rage that the Mikaelsons had never seen in her. It’d been building up over time and they had not noticed, thinking she was just bitter with the events at the end of 1914. They did not understand, and nor did she, that her forceful disconnection from her magic was actually killing her slowly. Her body had been born a certain way because of the darkness her mother had taken into herself, and her nature was magic, never vampirism. She had not suffered before, because she had given her magic up mostly willingly, and had been happy with Kol, Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah all together and being friendly with her in her time forced to stay in the compound for her safety. But the brutality of this second time was causing a toll that no one could have seen coming. It was damaging her more than they knew— the darkness naturally within her could not be sustained enough in a vampire body. It needed the magic as an outlet. It was the fuel for her spells— what made her so powerful to begin with. The balance in her was being disrupted, and it was destroying her psyche._

_“Itza, I was just trying to bring you food,” said Elijah gently._

_She’d grabbed a vase off her nightstand and hurled it at him, letting out a scream of rage. “I don’t want to see you, Elijah, don’t you get it?” she snarled, her movements unpredictable as she restrained herself from attacking him. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!”_

_“My darling, please—”_

_“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” she screeched, grabbing the nightstand itself this time and throwing it at him, stomping her foot so hard that she broke one of the floorboards. “I hate you! I HATE YOU! I don’t ever— EVER— want to see your stupid face again!”_

_Klaus had come in to aid his brother, but it had only made her feel worse. “Not you, too!” she snarled, angrily covering her face and digging her nails into her temples hard enough to draw blood. “I don’t want you to give me any fucking attention! I want you to leave me alone!”_

_“Seeing as you’re tearing up your room, I do not think it wise for you to be alone,” said Klaus._

_“I wouldn’t be tearing up my room if you’d just let me go back to my apartment!”_

_“Can't do that, love,” said Klaus with a shrug. “You’re not safe out there, and you know it. We still need you.”_

_Elijah had gritted his teeth. “Niklaus, don’t put it like that.”_

_“Fine. We worry, Beatrix.”_

_“Don’t lie to me,” she sneered. “You’re the ones who tried to kill me. You’re the ones that are to blame! YOU! I should rip those stupid faces right off of your skulls!”_

_“No need to get so graphic, love, I rather like my face,” said Klaus a bit more impatiently. None of the Mikaelsons had any inkling on how to deal with this. They didn’t know where this was coming from, much less how to approach her in a way that wouldn’t bring out her rage._

_“Well I hate it!” she spat. “I hate your faces— both of you! You can’t keep me here!”_

_“Yes, we can, actually,” said Klaus more wickedly. “You’re spelled into this room as long as you’re unsafe in the outside world.”_

_“If I had my magic, I swear—”_

_“But you don’t, do you, love? And considering your erratic behavior, I wouldn’t trust you with it in any manner.”_

_“I’ll kill you— I’ll kill both of you— I’ll make sure I find a White Oak Stake and I’ll make you both burn—”_

_“That’s quite enough.” Klaus tapped the wall twice. “I think we’ll get my witch up here to spell you to sleep.”_

_“NO!” screeched Beatrix, shaking her head wildly and throwing herself onto the bed. A storm of pain and anger was coursing through her mind and without means to understand it, she had no way of screaming to them for help. She had no idea that she was being driven mad by her lack of magic._

_Within the year, she’d manage to calm down, aided by several spells that eased her mind, and compulsion from the Original brothers to get her to calm down. It was impossible to know how it did not kill her, but, aided by the three decade long nap she would proceed to take following the events at the Opera House, a knowledgeable witch might have assumed that her mind was able to eventually heal on its own._

_Though she was practically still a ticking time bomb._

“Yes, I’m sure, because last time, I didn’t have my bloody magic,” she sneered. Her body was shaking at that point, and she felt an eerily familiar tugging in her gut. Swallowing hard at the realization of what it might mean, she stepped back, and let out a hard breath. “This is stupid. Let me know if Freya comes back. I can’t stand the sight of any of your faces right now.”

She had sped to her room without further explanation. Because she’d felt a stirring inside her that had been all too close to the feelings that built up the last time she lost her head. Collapsing against the wall, she’d held her temples, forcing herself to breathe. 

Sometimes, the darkness was overwhelming. What she didn’t know was that even with her magic, she was prone to another outburst. A worse one. She had no idea that her balance could still be disrupted. It was in her nature— too much darkness built up over such negative emotion had the ability to make her lose her mind. It had the potential to be a longer-lasting and even more violent version of last time.

Trembling, she’d gone to her phone. Hands shaking, she’d dialed Kai’s number, nearly crying in relief when he picked up.

“What’s happening now? Ew, why are you breathing so raggedly, did you just have sex?”

“Talk about something, anything,” she pleaded in a small voice, feeling tears pooling in her eyes. 

“Um, okay. But why?”

“I just… I need to hear your voice.”

Albeit confused, Kai had taken the opportunity to rant about who knows what. Beatrix wasn’t paying attention. 

Kai was the only one who she’d ever told about her past in such detail. The only one who knew, from her point of view, exactly how she’d felt in those terrible moments where the only thought on her mind was violence. The Mikaelsons may have known her incredibly well, given that they witnessed so much of her life, but it was only the sociopathic siphon that understood her side of it, completely. 

“Are you okay?” he’d asked after awhile, once he’d heard her breathing back to normal. “You sound… really distressed.”

“I’m better now,” she whispered, rubbing her forehead. “Thank you.”

Kai had not immediately answered. But he’d eventually let out a soft sigh. “Um… you’re welcome, I guess. Do you need me to stay on the line?”

“Yes, please.”


	22. Chapter 22

**“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you, Trixter?”**

She rubbed her temples in response. “Everything is wrong. I want to be here, but it’s not living up to my expectations.”

“Elijah again?”

“Elijah and Hayley. She doesn’t like me, I know it. She’s amazing but inherently, we both see each other as competition.”

“Isn’t she married?”

“Yeah, but she did that to protect her daughter. She still cares for Elijah. Both of us are tense in general, I think, because Elijah’s been with this new vampire chick Gia. I met her only once but it’s whatever, he can do what he fucking pleases. I just hate how he tries to control me just because of how unhinged I’ve gotten in the past.”

There was a pause, and Kai seemed to figure it out. “He brought up your episode, didn’t he? Rubbed it in your face somehow?”

“Hayley and I got in an argument. Elijah butted in and it pissed me off. He made a comment about getting another piano key for me to put my magic away in. Then when I insisted I wasn’t having another episode, he doubted me. Then I— I got that feeling in my stomach when I’m getting really worked up. The same thing I felt gradually getting worse in the past, when it happened before.”

“Are you… worried about it happening? Or is it not really a problem?”

“Of course I’m worried. Last time, I tore my room apart, I was losing myself and hurting myself and trying to kill anyone who came close to me. It was mania to an extreme, terrible level, where I couldn’t control my emotions or actions. I usually pride myself on having a lot of control. My blood lust has never been a major problem for me, and I prefer that. I was hungry all the time without my magic— I got to a point where I’d feed on myself just to have blood on my lips. They kept putting me to sleep so I wouldn’t dessicate. It only made me hungrier, and it was keeping me from drying up. Eventually, they started giving me bits of blood when I behaved, and somehow… I got better. It’s an evil type of blur in my mind. I was a monster. I’ve killed people, sure, every vampire has, and I’ve been merciless about it. But mostly in self-defense. I never _wanted_ to kill unless I was really hungry or frustrated, and even then I could hold back. If I let my mind wander, I can hurt my niece.”

“Normally, I’d say you should just succumb to your impulses. I like the idea of blood and murder, it gives me a thrill like nothing else. It calms me to have control over someone else’s life. But that’s my sociopathic brain speaking, obviously. You’re all mushy and nice most times, and you actually care whether you hurt someone. I guess…. That’s your starting point. You have motivation to stay sane. You don't want to cause harm to the people close to you. Your triggers seem to revolve around anger and frustration. In another instance, I’d tell you to fucking go for it, use it as drive to feed and be free. Now… um, well, I guess I have to tell you to try and keep all your emotions in check more often. Instead of letting Hayley get to you, just fantasize about killing her. Don’t act on it if you don’t want to, but you could do it just so that it gives you more of a pleasing sensation than an angry sensation. That could probably backfire, and you might actually tear her apart, but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point. I don’t know… I’m bad at giving advice when it comes to someone wanting to be good. Luke’s influence isn’t strong enough to make me useful here.”

Beatrix chuckled lightly. “It helps more than you realize. Thank you.” 

He let out a sigh. “You’re welcome, I guess. If you get into a really major mood to unleash, come with me and we’ll go on a spree. It’ll be fun. We can take people’s hearts as souvenirs.”

“We’ll see. How are you, though? What’s been going on?”

“Oh, you’ll like this. I got Jo to give me her magic, mostly pretending to be sick and dying. Then, I was able to sense that she’s pregnant. Can you believe it? I’m like, a baby whisperer. Pity the baby is going to die, though.”

“What? But— _oh_. Oh… it’s going to die when you kill your entire coven.”

“Yep. But Josette is getting married now— partly a shotgun wedding. Her babydaddy is named Alaric Saltzman so that’s weird, but at least the baby won’t have to suffer with the last name _Saltzman_. This is perfect, Trix, they’re going to get married sometime in the summer and I’m pretty sure they’re inviting the entire Gemini Coven. D’you think you’ll be free to come to Mystic Falls in the summer?”

“Hopefully, if we manage to bash Dahlia’s face in by then.”

“Perfect. I’m thinking— we crash the wedding after you feed me some of your blood. Then, I’ll kill myself so the whole Coven can die in one strike. When I wake up, I’ll be a Heretic, and you can teach me everything I need to know. Not that there will be much, I’m assuming, but we can hang out like old times. Everything is heightened as a vampire, right? Imagine how great sex will be.”

Beatrix snorted. “Kai, you’re going to break the mortal girls if you get in bed with them in that state.”

“Oh, here’s the thing. I have some compassion. I wouldn’t dare do it with a mortal once I become a Heretic…. I was talking about you.”

She felt her cheeks redden. “What?”

“Did you just take a sip of stupid juice or what? We’re going to have to celebrate _somehow_.”

“Um, most people just drink. Or go out in a party bus.”

“I’m only going to say this once and then I’m going to hang up. Understood?”

“Er— sure?”

“I want to do it with _you_ , not anyone else. And I haven’t actually been sleeping around at all. I haven’t been with anyone since you, in the prison world.” The call then promptly ended, and Beatrix was left to scoff to herself, her face still burning. 

Talking downstairs drew her attention away from what Kai had said. The distinct sound of Freya’s voice was what drew her to stand and speed out, to where Freya was waiting at the entrance.

“Beatrix!” she said in relief when she saw her, the werewolf guards having been blocking her way. “Your spell really is doing its job— I couldn’t get in. Not that they’d let me.”

“Excuse me,” said Beatrix, moving through the werewolves, and waving her hand before pulling Freya in. It was only then that she realized the woman was shaking. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“I’ll tell you when we get the others,” she said quietly, hugging herself. Beatrix pulled her toward the courtyard, where Elijah and Rebekah had already come out to see what was happening.

“Freya,” said Elijah, coming down quickly.

“I saw her,” the blonde blurted out. “Dahlia. She intends to make her move tonight. Klaus and our father will be her next victims.”

Elijah shot Rebekah a sharp look before turning to his elder sister. “And you have returned to warm the very people who would cast you out?”

Freya nodded. “I understand Klaus’s mistrust, as I do yours, but I did _not_ come this far to see my family die at the hands of the very evil that I've tried for _so long_ to escape. I'm begging you— help me save them.”

“Tell us what you need,” said Elijah immediately.

“Dahlia will lure them into a trap. She prefers places of darkness. She'll be drawn to any site that's been steeped in death.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes at this. “Well, welcome to New Orleans.”

“Oh no,” said Freya quickly, “I’m talking about dark power created by massacre. Sacred ground that's been stained with the blood of the innocent.”

“St. Anne’s Church,” said Beatrix immediately. “Cami told me about it.”

“We must not waste any time, then,” said Elijah, offering Freya his arm. “Hold on.” He then looked at Beatrix and offered his other arm. “As fast as we can.”

Understanding, she slowly took his arm, and the two began to speed as fast as they could, with Freya in tow, toward St. Anne’s Church. Beatrix was thankful it wasn’t all that far.

They arrived at the entrance and stopped abruptly. Freya put her finger over her mouth to motion for them to be quiet. They crept forward through the open doors, seeing Klaus and Mikael struggling against the dark haired witch, who seemed to not be strained at all. Elijah pulled Beatrix to the side, and they crept around while Freya remained in the center aisle, apparently planning to make herself known. 

They crept behind pews, Dahlia still too focused on Klaus, who had reached for a knife on the floor and had lunged toward the witch. With a simple wave, Dahlia sent Klaus flying back into a wall, knocking him unconscious and causing the knife to clatter to the floor. The woman glared down at Mikael instead. “And you,” she said darkly as the Original struggled to his knees. “Husband of my sister. You, I would like to make suffer.” She cupped her hand and beckoned it toward Mikael, making him choke and gasp for breath. Both Mikael and Klaus had a greyish tint suggesting that Dahlia was slowly desiccating them. 

“ENOUGH!” cried Freya. Dahlia immediately released Mikael from the spell and turned to Freya. Elijah took this moment to speed himself and Beatrix closer to Klaus, who was still unconscious.

“My Freya,” said Dahlia as the two vampires inched closer to the hybrid. “You do realize that this so-called family of yours is simply using you for your power? They’ve been doing it to witches for thousands of years.”

“No!” spat Freya. “You’re the one that used me for a thousand years! No more!”

“So be it!” Dahlia flicked her wrist, and Freya began to choke, her body rising into the air.

“NOOO!” bellowed Mikael, lunging toward Dahlia and stabbing her in the abdomen with a stake. “STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!”

“Now,” breathed Elijah. They sped forward and Elijah bit into his wrist, pushing the blood into Klaus’s mouth. Beatrix put her hand on his forehead, muttering a spell and reviving him just as Dahlia threw Mikael across the room. “Don’t you know I’m too powerful to kill?” she spat.

Elijah launched himself forward toward her, but she tossed him back against the pews, making him land right beside Klaus, who had just opened his eyes. Beatrix took her turn, and waved her hands, sending one of the benches up and slamming into Dahlia, who simply turned it into a horde of birds that turned around and sped toward Beatrix. Growling, the Heretic waved her hands to disintegrate the birds. Klaus took a chance, having picked the knife up again, and speeding to stab Dahlia. 

But the witch simply vanished, and Klaus crashed right into the sacristy. Dahlia appeared again closer to Beatrix, waving her hand lazily and making the Heretic cry out in pain, crumpling to the floor clutching her stomach. She coughed, and began to spit out blood. “You are merely a child in my eyes, dear,” Dahlia said. “You are not strong enough to counter me in this manner.”

She then disappeared again, and Beatrix let out a hoarse croak as she stopped bleeding. Elijah ran to her side and pulled her up, just as Dahlia appeared far enough away from the five of them. “We all have weaknesses,” she said. She then reappeared on the other side of the room. “You came here to exploit mine. And, in doing so, you lost the _one_ thing you could have used against me.” She held up the knife that Klaus had wielded. “The weapon you created, now rendered _useless_.” She reappeared beside a basin of holy water and dropped the knife in, causing it to burst into flames.

“NO!” screamed Freya. 

Dahlia let out a sigh of apparent boredom. “Now that we've disposed of that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand? After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you _all_ may live. Deny me, and, well... you've had a taste of my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more.”

When she vanished that time, she did not reappear.

“Itza, are you alright?” breathed Elijah when her body swayed in his arms.

“M’fine,” she said weakly, rubbing over her abdomen. She wasn’t sure what spell Dahlia had even used on her. She’d never been left this weak after a magical duel. Usually, she won them fairly quickly, being more ancient and experienced against the majority of witches who tried to counter her. But all her efforts had been overcome with chilling ease by Dahlia.

From the other end of the church, Freya helped Mikael stand up. He glared in Beatrix’s direction. “You’re supposed to be dead,” he murmured.

“Is now really the time for that discussion?” said Elijah harshly, picking Beatrix up bridal style. She moaned in pain and let her head lean against his shoulder. 

Freya released Mikael’s arm and came closer to observe her. “I know this spell. She was tearing her up from the inside. Typically, the average witch would die. You can’t, because your body is healing itself. Don’t worry, just let yourself rest.”

“Put her to sleep if it will help,” said Elijah. “I think—”

“No,” moaned Beatrix. “Don’t want… to sleep.”

But Freya put her to sleep anyway. 

When she awoke, she was laying on one of the couches in the courtyard, and it seemed that the others were telling Rebekah what’d happened in the church.

“Well, that sounds like a bloody fiasco,” huffed Rebekah. “Where’s Dahlia now?”

“She can be anywhere,” Elijah said defeatedly. “There wasn’t a trace of her left in the church.”

Freya huffed bitterly. “She’s done with us for the night. No doubt, she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat.” 

“Defeat?” Klaus said, taking a sip of the scotch in his hand. “I disagree. We saw her face, we took her measure. If that’s the best she’s got, quite frankly, I’m unimpressed.”

Mikael huffed. “Her aim was _not_ to impress us. She wanted us to reveal our _sole_ weapon, and like _fools_ , we did.

Rebekah raised her eyebrows. “Am I hearing things, or did our brother just exchange words with our father?”

“Definitely not hearing things,” Beatrix groaned as she started to sit up slowly. 

Mikael smirked at this, and turned to his daughter. “Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing.”

Klaus growled and handed his scotch to Beatrix, who was right next to him. “Enough. My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end.”

“What do I do with this?” said the Heretic awkwardly, holding the glass.

“You drink it, love, I’m sure it’s not that hard to figure out,” he said. She took a skeptical sip as Elijah walked toward Mikael, a pensive expression on his face.

“There only is one question here— what exactly are we doing?” he inquired.

“This was not my plan,” said Freya, sounding angry. “You rushed it and made but a _single_ weapon! Of _course_ she took it from you. And now, we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her. Think of it— Beatrix didn’t even know about the knife! We need to be more prepared, to communicate!”

“It’s a bit histrionic,” said Klaus. “Your materials are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we? There's an ample supply of your blood, Norwegian soil is hardly scarce... what else? Ah, yes— the ashes of Dahlia's Viking oppressors.

Mikael growled. “Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum! Lost due to your worthless strategy!”

Klaus immediately sped to Mikael and pinned him to the wall, extracting the White Oak Stake and pressing it into the man’s chest. Freya lunged forward while Mikael made absolutely no move to fight back. “NO!”

“If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist!” spat Klaus, glaring at Mikael, and causing Elijah to move forward and hold the witch back. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Betrayal is in your nature, _boy_ ,” the older male snarled. 

“No, I wasn’t born like this,” said Klaus fiercely. “Her, you fight for— lovely Freya, the daughter you _barely_ know. But there was a time where you knew me as your _son!_ A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal.” His voice began to tremble, and Beatrix could see that he’d started crying. “There were moments where all you had to do was be my father! And even then, you despised me, didn’t you? I want to know why.”

Beatrix was worried that Mikael was going to snap rudely, but his voice was soft, and genuine. “I don’t know,” he stated. “I just… did.”

Another terrible moment where they just stared at each other. Klaus then seemed to swallow back his tears. “Are those your final words?” he said hatefully.

Mikael turned toward Freya after a brief moment of hesitation. “Freya, I’m so sorry. I love yo—”

Beatrix covered her mouth as Klaus plunged the stake right into his heart, making the man let out a loud yell of agony. Freya screamed and burst into tears, but Elijah kept holding her back. Rebekah visibly gulped from beside the Heretic, letting out a small, shaky sigh. Klaus let Mikael’s body drop to the floor, desiccated. It burst into flames rights after, and Freya began to sob hysterically once more, lunging to attack Klaus, but continuing to be held back by Elijah.

“Viking ashes indeed rare?” said Klaus with dangerous softness. “All you really need is a burning Viking corpse.”

He walked out of the room, ignoring the furious glares he was getting from Freya. Rebekah sank back into her chair, sharing a look with Elijah. Beatrix stood, and slowly started to follow after Klaus, only to be caught by Rebekah.

“He’s not happy, even if he won’t admit to it,” she said worriedly. “He’ll attack you.”

“All the more reason to at the very least, check up on him,” Beatrix said, moving her arm and going toward where she’d seen Klaus enter Hope’s room.

She found him hunched over the empty crib, since Hope was currently with Hayley and Jackson in Algiers. She stepped forward slowly, and she watched his body tense, but he didn’t object when she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

“You shouldn’t do that,” he said shakily. “You were just hurt, and I—”

“You’re not going to hurt me. We both know that.”

She let her arms move around his middle, and she rested her head against his back. She could hear his heart beating progressively slower. She let her hands rub over his abdomen gently, and she felt him shake a bit as he started to cry again.

“He just couldn’t care about me,” he said in a very quiet voice. “He didn’t… didn’t know…”

“You deserved a better father,” Beatrix breathed. “And I am so sorry that you didn’t get one.”

He shook again, and she heard him audibly let out the faintest of sobs. She hugged him tighter, and he gulped, trying to stop himself from crying.

_“Klaus?”_

_It was 1830, and she had found him alone in his room, drinking and staring out the window. She came closer and saw that he looked incredibly saddened. Likely in deep thought about someone or something from his past._

_“Are you alright?” she whispered, stopping beside him._

_“Of course, love,” he said quietly. “Why, are you worried?”_

_“Yes. You can always talk to me, you know?”_

_“You needn’t worry, Beatrix. You could be enjoying yourself elsewhere.”_

_“I don’t want to be elsewhere. I want to be here, with you.”_

_She was catching feelings for him and she knew it. She was just supposed to keep him busy, and yet, every waking moment, her first thought was him. His intense gaze that he only dropped when it came to her or his siblings. The talent he had and the strength he carried himself with._

_She put her hand slowly on his. “You don’t have to pretend you’re alright if you’re not. It makes me feel sad to see you like this, Klaus.”_

_He had turned toward her, and set his drink down on the windowsill. “Why?” he inquired. “Why must you insist on being in my presence? Any other male suitor would be preferable. A witch. Another vampire.”_

_“You’re my close friend. I trust you. Besides Rebekah, you’re the only one who tries to understand me. Besides, I admire you.”_

_He’d raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. “Honestly, love, I still believe you are bluffing…”_

_“I’m not. We raised Marcel and I got to see a side of you that a lot of people haven’t. You are patient and caring, and you are loyal and determined. How could I not be drawn to that?”_

_He hadn’t hesitated to take her by the waist and pull her in, one hand under her chin as he tilted her face up and kissed her more deeply than anyone had before. She’d melted into it, her hands finding their way to the collar of his shirt. For many nights after, he’d finally begin opening up to her, little by little, though never as much as Elijah ever did. He trusted her, and she kept his trust. They’d connected through frantic tangles and quiet words that brought them both a feeling of safety that neither had ever indulged in. Perhaps, they might have lasted, had Klaus not assumed that all her kind words had been absolute lies after he learned of Marcel and Rebekah’s relationship._

“You’re allowed to feel,” she whispered. “You’re not obligated to explain it to anyone, either. You’re still learning, Klaus, but you’re a good father. Hope is lucky to have you. You’re not Mikael. You will never be Mikael. Your little girl has someone good to look up to. We’re all going to help you. You’re not alone.”

He turned to face her right as she finished speaking and pulled her into a proper hug. She rubbed his back in response, feeling him still shaking.


	23. Chapter 23

**The following morning, Beatrix felt suspicious of Klaus.**

He’d started by going to her room to wake her up. He’d asked her to lower the spell on the house, stating that he felt it safe enough because Hope was no longer in the vicinity. He’d then rather enthusiastically invited her down to breakfast. 

She’d been greeted with a table full of treats, and awkwardly sat down to eat next to him, wondering what on Earth had him in such a happy mood. By the time Elijah came down, it was clear something was up with Klaus. He was scheming, certainly.

“Is something the matter, brother?” asked Klaus when Elijah looked at him for the millionth time without saying anything. “Can I fix you a drink, perhaps?”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Strangely enough, Niklaus, I’m not in a mimosa mood.”

Klaus turned to Beatrix, who was calmly sipping her orange juice. “And for you, Beatrix?”

“I’m good, thanks,” she said.

“Fantastic! More for me,” the hybrid responded pleasantly.

Elijah and Beatrix shared a strange look. “Let’s discuss strategy, shall we, Niklaus?” said Elijah. “Just wondering if you _actually_ have one. We can begin with Mikael's ashes— given that they are the main ingredient in our weapon against Dahlia, would you care to tell me where they disappeared to?”

Klaus set down his drink and gave his brother a rather fake smile. “Elijah! I have compelled the city's _finest_ pastry chef for your own personal edification, and yet, you ignore my efforts in favor of needless concerns! Can’t you be more like Beatrix and simply enjoy a meal in peace?”

Rebekah let out a groan from the hallway, entering the room looking exhausted. “Can we stop talking so loudly?” she implored as she went over to get herself some coffee.

“What’s the matter?” asked Klaus. “New witch body not up to last night's _bender_?”

“So? I had a few,” said Rebekah, sitting down on the opposite end of the table. “It’s not every day you lose your father at the hands of your brother. _Again_.”

Klaus laughed heartily, and Beatrix narrowed her eyes at him. “Whoever said opportunity only knocks once, eh?” When his siblings didn’t respond, he threw his hands in the air. “Oh, come on! We fled Mikael's tyranny together for centuries! He attempted to kill Marcel and Beatrix! I would have thought the mood this morning might be a bit more jubilant!”

Elijah shot him a cheeky grin. “Under normal circumstances, the annihilation of our father would be rather commendable, Niklaus. _Unfortunately_ , we have a greater threat to contend with.”

Klaus stood and went to pour himself another drink, looking disappointed in Elijah. “You know, for someone who's been invited to a celebratory breakfast, you're proving _quite_ the buzzkill.”

Elijah sighed loudly. “Well, Niklaus, if anything indeed has killed the ‘buzz,’ as you say, perhaps it was because murdering Father alienated the _one_ person who truly knows how to defeat Dahlia!”

“Oh, come now, you’ve forgotten our very trusted Mikaelson witch is sitting right here with us,” said Klaus, pointing his drink in Beatrix’s direction. “Besides, if Freya wants to be part of this family, she should be willing to accept us, warts and all!”

“Elijah’s still right,” said Rebekah. “Beatrix can only do so much on her own. Freya knew Dahlia, and she loved Mikael, and you’ve likely ruined everything.”

The hybrid rolled his eyes. “Pity. whatever shall I do?”

“Whatever you please, apparently!” snapped Elijah.

Klaus slammed his hands onto the table angrily. “Do not mistake my high spirits for lack of clarity!” he snarled. “I know full well the threat we face. And, I intend to deal with it— personally.” He then stopped, his head moving up like he heard something. “Someone’s here. Beatrix, you let up the spell?”

“Yes, you told me to,” she murmured as they all stood and rushed to the courtyard. They found an older woman waiting for them, with a velvet scarf choker around her neck. 

“Josephine,” said Elijah, looking confused.

The woman smiled. “Forgive me for calling so early, Elijah, but, I’ve come bearing a message from your aunt Dahlia.” She looked between the four of them, fixating her eyes briefly on Beatrix, before turning to Klaus. “She is owed a debt, and she means to be paid.”

“She can writhe in Hell first,” answered Klaus.

“For merely taking what your mother promised her?” inquired Josephine. “If you must harbor hatred, isn't it better spent on the one who traded your child away a thousand years ago? Blame Esther, if you must, but I seek _only_ to fulfill a bargain. A bargain that, consequently, resulted in your very existence. Perhaps you should be thanking me?”

Elijah took a step toward her, staring intently before gritting his teeth a bit. “Dahlia.”

The woman grinned. “My child— I prefer Aunt Dahlia.”

“You dare enter my home?” sneered Klaus, stepping into her face. From beneath the choker, blood began to pour out.

“The time has come to add the child’s power to my own,” she answered. “Though, I do not detect her here. I see you've used a spell to cloak her. No matter— such spells will yield, as will _you_. Say your farewells. You have 'til nightfall tomorrow, and then the child _shall be mine._ Be a dear and inform the mother? No reason we can't be _civilized_ about this.”

Klaus smirked slightly, before swiping his hand out and knocking the head right off the body. It fell to the floor, and Beatrix scrunched her nose up. “So much for celebratory breakfast,” she said. “She’ll find Hayley and Hope— it’s only a matter of time. I can fortify the spells as much as I can from here, and try and make her connection with Josephine linger long enough to delay her. But she’ll eventually pinpoint their location…”

“Fortify the spells,” said Klaus immediately. “Now.” 

He dashed off, and Beatrix sighed, returning to her room. She prepared several of the notes she’d been gathering, and set them aside as she created a circle of candles to sit in. She began to hum, letting her fingers sway over the candlelight. She reached back for a bowl she had, and ground a few herbs into it, waving her hands over it again. “ _Enfortir posílit praesidio, barrera skrývat jiřina naděje. Praemoenio enfortir protegir, obice dissimular jiřina naděje. Opevnit roboro chránit, bariéra abscondo jiřina naděje_.”

She felt a strong tugging sensation in her gut, and she sighed quietly. At least, that would help keep Hope safe for longer. She cleaned up quickly and picked up her notes, tucking them under her arm, and popping her head into Elijah’s room, since he was the first that she saw.

“I’m going to Davina, to see if we can figure anything else out,” she said, sweeping away before he could say anything else. She didn’t need a confrontation. He had been kind last night, but she did not want to talk to him more than necessary. Now was not the time to solve their problems. Perhaps, once Dahlia was gone.

Beatrix promptly arrived at the Claire tomb, and found Davina already inside with Josh, one of Marcel’s vampires. 

“Oh, hey Trix,” said Davina, looking a bit better than she had in past days. “Are you here because of Aiden?”

“Er— who’s Aiden?”

“Definitely not,” said Josh with a light chuckle. “I don’t know if you remember the guy that was with me at Hayley’s wedding? That’s Aiden.”

Beatrix furrowed her brows. “I think I know who it is, then. I don’t talk much to the wolves. But why? Is he doing something important?”

“Told us he’d meet us here soon, he’s retrieving something from the compound,” said Josh. “He said he’s got some idea about a way to protect Hope.”

“Well, that’s good news. I actually came to deliver some notes to Davina. I’ve been researching some things we can do to bring Kol back, and this is my research so far.” She dropped the stack of paper on her table. “I thought you might like to look it over, pinpoint anything you’d like to try.”

Davina smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate it. No one else has really been much help. But, at least, the dagger is made so I have my full attention on this problem.”

Beatrix went over to look at what Davina was writing— some spell from an old-looking grimoire. “You’re a hard-worker. Got to remember to get some sleep, though.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” sighed Josh.

“I don’t need sleep, I need progress,” said Davina in response. “I’ll sleep soundly when I know Kol will be back.”

“D’you know what he looks like in his real body?” asked Beatrix curiously. “I’m sure I have a picture somewhere, I could give it to you.”

Davina’s eyes lit up, and Beatrix wove her hand through the air, her eyes closed. She reached into thin air, and when she dropped her hand, an old photograph rested in her palm.

“How the hell did you do that?” inquired Josh.

“I vanished a lot of things over time, just so that they’re safe,” she said, handing the picture to Davina. It was of Kol in a kaftan, from their time in Arabia when he wanted Beatrix to learn Kemiya. “Mostly keepsakes. Rather advanced bit of magic, takes years of practice to create a safe space where they vanish, and can only be found in your mind and another plane.”

The younger girl smiled as she took the picture, and Josh looked over her shoulder. “Well, damn, I think he’s better looking here than he was as Kaleb.”

“Oh, definitely,” said Beatrix with a light chuckle as Josh’s phone buzzed. He looked down at it. “Aiden’s on his way to the compound— says he’s going to pretend he’s getting one of Hope’s stuffed animals so he can retrieve the shackles Klaus put on Kol and Finn when they were in witch bodies.”

“See, if Aiden and I knew each other, I could have brought the manacles here without suspicion. Klaus wouldn’t care if I took the entire piano from his house, as long as I said I was doing something witchy with it.”

“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” said Josh worriedly. “If he makes one wrong move, he’ll be on Klaus’s bad side…”

When Aiden arrived, Beatrix was surprised he’d walked into the tomb in one piece. “Klaus doesn’t suspect a thing,” he said pleasantly without so much as a greeting, setting down the shackles and a small stuffed bunny.

Josh seemed to be quite skeptical of this. “Oh! Right! Yes, I’m sure that Klaus ‘Color Me Paranoid’ Mikaelson totally fell for your whole, ‘I came across the river for Hope’s bunny’ ruse!”

Aiden smirked at him, and just shook his head, before facing Davina and Beatrix. “Look, these manacles are spelled to neutralize witch power, right? So, if you could transfer the magic from these onto something smaller? Just think about it— if the baby can’t give off magic, then Dahlia won’t be able to track her!”

“But what difference does it make?” asked Davina. “I thought the baby was already safe?”

“Yeah, I re-fortified the spell just before coming here,” said Beatrix.

Aiden pursed his lips. “Hayley and Jackson are getting ready to run.”

Beatrix frowned. “Um, well, that’s grand and all, but they do know that Dahlia is just going to chase them, right? And even with the wolves, they’d be pretty alone— it’s a dangerous idea. No offense, but how do they expect to run and be safe from Dahlia without taking a witch with them?”

“Couldn’t you come with?” suggested Aiden. “You’d be one hell of an asset, and you can make sure that Hope is continuously being concealed with magic.”

“It’s not that simple, Aiden. Hayley doesn’t like me, first of all. And the wolves, well— I’m a vampire, they’re going to dislike my presence quite a bit. Besides, what I’m gathering is that they’re leaving without informing the Mikaelsons. That’s not going to bode well.”

“I think it will be good for them to get away, though,” said Davina. “I mean… if Kol had asked me to run before he got hexed, he wouldn’t have had to ask me twice.”

“I don’t know,” said Josh anxiously. “Aiden— what if Klaus finds out what you did? He may be buddy-buddy with Beatrix but even she’s in danger if she helps out in any way.”

“Let me worry about that,” said Aiden. “It’ll be fine. Do you two think you can get these spelled?”

“Yes,” said Beatrix, a bit hesitantly. “I just don’t really like this. There were five of us yesterday against Dahlia— a thousand year old witch, three Original vampires, and me, a Heretic. She bested us without even trying. Even with the entire Crescent pack backing you… I think Hayley is being reckless about this.”

“They’ve thought it out well, I promise,” Aiden insisted. “Jackson knows the bayou insanely well— all of us do. We have the advantage there. I won’t implore you to join us, but at least, keep it a secret for now.”

The Heretic winced as Davina removed a bracelet she was wearing and set it on the table beside the manacles. “Fine. Let’s just spell this.”

**_**

When they finished, Josh and Aiden dashed out to deliver it to Jackson and Hayley. 

Davina picked up the paragon diamond, which rested on the table comfortably, watching them do their spells. “Do you think there’s actually a way to bring him back? Genuinely?”

“Of course,” said Beatrix. “Necromancy is still practiced, but very few witches have the ability to perform it alone, and most are not eager to help perform such spells, so it is rare. But not impossible. There are many branches of magic that have ways to bring back the dead. I have studied many, and I’m sure we will find something. Kol himself taught me a lot of magic. We just need to find the right spell.”

The girl half-smiled, but suddenly tensed, and turned, snatching up the paragon diamond and thrusting her hand out toward the doorway, hearing footsteps of someone entering the tomb. Beatrix watched Marcel walk in, and smiled. “Hey,” she said happily.

Marcel smiled at them, and Davina lowered the diamond. “I come in peace,” he said.

“You should know better than to sneak up on me,” said Davina. 

Marcel walked closer, and shrugged. “I wasn’t sneaking, just… haven’t talked to you in a while.”

Beatrix stood. “I’m going to go walk around a bit,” she said, noticing that it seemed Marcel wanted to talk alone with Davina. She dashed out of the tomb and began to stroll through the cemetery. 

“That went as well as expected,” she heard someone say after she had passed the tomb for the second time. She turned to see Marcel. “I feel like I messed up.”

“Well, what do you think you messed up on?” she asked.

“Being a father figure for her,” he said, beginning to walk beside her. “She’s hurting and I haven’t been there. She mentioned I hadn’t checked in since Kol died. I let my dislike for him get in the way of making sure she was okay.”

“The important thing is you learned now,” she said. “You can’t change the past. But you can make sure nothing like this happens in the future. Be there for her. Support her. She still looks up to you, and she clearly cares. She’s a teenager, it’s not the easiest thing to parent one of them.”

He chuckled quietly. “I’m definitely not someone with experience in that area. I kind of just learned to be ‘manly’ and not get worked up about most things.”

“I always tried to teach you it was okay to show emotion,” mused Beatrix. “Even now, it is true. Make sure she knows that you’re not judging her. Don’t invalidate what she feels. Accept her as she is, and help pick her up from there. She’s working herself really hard and it’s making her feel more alone. She doesn’t want to break because she’s trying to reach her goal. I’m sure she’s thinking that if she pushes hard enough, he’ll be back and she won’t have to cry anymore. Hold her. Show her it isn’t shameful to cry. You may not have firsthand experience as a parental figure, but even as you are, it can be fairly simple to encourage her into letting herself feel.”

Marcel leaned onto her, and sighed. “Kol is not the guy I would have picked for her. Not in a million years. But I took in mind what you said before. He did care for her, quite a bit. He’s not the same reckless and twisted man I knew in the 1820s.”

Beatrix put her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder. “He changed for the better. I was glad to see that.”

“Are you feeling alright? You seem so distant every time I catch a glimpse of you. I’m sorry I don’t come around more.”

“Don’t worry, Marcel, it’s okay. I’m okay. Still adjusting. The world is very different from how I last saw it, and there is still so much to absorb, you know?”

“It’s probably been more difficult to adjust with Elijah and Klaus being the way they are.”

“Yes, certainly. But I’m optimistic when it comes to Klaus. He and Cami seem to… connect well. She’s a good friend for him to have. As for Elijah, well… it’s too hectic right now to try and work that out. I’ll surely find time to discuss it in depth eventually.”

“If you need me to knock some sense into him, I can definitely try,” he said, smirking as she nudged him in the ribs. “I’ll see you around, Beatrix. Have to go meet with Rebekah to cook up a plan.”

“See you,” she sighed as he sped away. 

She returned to the Claire tomb, finding Davina still observing the diamond. The two witches continued to work for a while after, together, just reviewing notes and writing spells separately when they seemed promising. When they stopped for the day, Davina went to check her phone. “I’m going to go meet Josh and Aiden,” she said. “You’re free to stay if you’d like.”

“I think I might go back to the compound just to check on things,” said Beatrix. “It was fun being here today. Stay safe.” 

They bade each other farewell, and Beatrix began to walk back home, taking the long way and choosing to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. She was nearly back when her phone began to ring, and she looked down to see Elijah calling. 

“Yes?” she answered.

“Meet us at the safe house in Algiers quickly. Hayley said it’s urgent.”

“Alright, I’m on my way,” she said, turning on her heel and speeding back the way she’d come. She found Elijah inside the safe house with Hayley, who looked terrified.

“What happened?” said Beatrix worriedly.

“Your re-fortification spell didn’t do any good,” said Hayley immediately. “Dahlia came. She didn’t step in but she was standing right outside, talking about how she’s going to take Hope.”

“Why didn’t you try to call us?” said Elijah.

Hayley gave him an exasperated look. “Of course I tried to call you, Elijah! But since Dahlia was able to take down both Klaus _and_ Mikael, and a spell that’d just been refreshed, I'm guessing that a cell phone tower was a piece of cake.

“And where were the wolves who stood guard?” the Original inquired.

“Getting their asses handed to them by Dahlia, just like Klaus did!”

At that moment, Klaus walked in. “That’s it— you’re coming with me to the compound.”

“Where Dahlia sent Josephine this morning?” Hayley scoffed. “No way! We’d be sitting ducks, just like we will be here as soon as that spell fully breaks. Which is why we have to go. Jackson is out getting supplies, and then we’re taking the wolves and we’re headed to the Bayou.”

“The swamp?” said Klaus. “So my child can be protected by the very wolves Dahlia so easily defeated? Absolutely not!”

Hayley shoved Elijah aside and marched right up to Klaus’s face. “You know, I am _so_ over taking advice from you, Klaus. All it has done so far is put Hope in danger. From now on, I am going to do what I want to do. We're leaving.”

Klaus pushed her back and pointed at her. “You’re not going anywhere unless I tell you to!”

“I am not your prisoner, Klaus!” spat Hayley.

“Both of you, please— we’re playing into Dahlia’s hands,” said Elijah.

“ _Not_ doing as I say plays into her hands!” Klaus insisted. “While you two have been kow-towing to Freya and devising ways to flee with your tail between your legs, I’ve been forging a new path. I know what Freya was planning, and I know how to kill Dahlia! Once I have fixed every last detail, I am certain Beatrix will be able to do her part of it quite well.”

“And yet, you do not wish to tell us any of those details,” challenged Elijah.

Klaus rolled his eyes and ignored him. “Freya objected to us making a single weapon because it spoiled her plan—”

“KLAUS!”

“Jack?” said Hayley, facing the door. 

The others turned to see a very furious Jackson carrying a body over his shoulder, followed by three other male werewolves. “KLAUS!” the Alpha roared, setting the body down.

“Oh, my God!” cried Hayley, running over to them. “What happened?”

Beatrix covered her mouth in horror as they approached, seeing Aiden, his heart ripped out of his chest, and claw marks on his face and neck.

“Klaus made Aiden spy on us,” said Jackson angrily. “Instead, he told me everything—” he turned to the hybrid, giving him a mutinous look. “—so you killed him!”

Klaus looked very much surprised, his eyes darting down to the body. “You killed one of the wolves sworn to protect our daughter?” said Hayley incredulously, her voice shaking.

There was a silence where they all stared at him, waiting for his reaction. Finally, he just glared up at them. “So what if I did?” he said, making Hayley and the other wolves stare at him, eyes filled with malice. The hybrid jabbed his finger down toward Aiden’s dead body. “This is what happens to anyone who dares cross me!”

“Just give us the word, Jackson,” sneered one of the wolves.

“Yes!” Klaus shouted. “Come and have a go! But you’ll be putting your life on the line for one who is all too willing to betray you. Perhaps this never would have happened if he'd had a _real_ Alpha.”

Jackson immediately lunged forward and punched Klaus in the face, making the hybrid retaliate by slamming the Alpha back into the wolves. Hayley launched forward to push Klaus back, but he hit her hard in the stomach, sending her flying off to the side. 

“Klaus!” snarled Beatrix, stepping between them and pushing him back right as Jackson aimed another punch, managing to hit Beatrix in the jaw and sending her onto Klaus, making the both of them nearly fall. The Heretic turned and was about to aim a kick at Jackson, but Elijah quickly stepped between them. “Do you wish to die?” Elijah said darkly to the rageful Alpha.

At this, Hayley leapt up and shoved Elijah away. “You want to kill me, too, Elijah?” she spat.

“Don’t make this about you, your husband threw the first bloody punch!” snapped Beatrix, darting to step between Hayley and Elijah. Hayley's eyes flashed Amber, and Beatrix growled, her hands outstretched and ready, the two women glaring at each other as if debating whether to make the first move. 

“I don’t need magic to tear you apart, Marshall,” Beatrix snarled. “You may be a hybrid but I’ve got three hundred years on you, and when you inevitably fuck up and throw me outside, I’ll be able to break your body without much effort.”

“Enough,” said Elijah, yanking Beatrix away. He moved to stand beside Klaus. “If you come at him, you come at me.” It was no surprise when Beatrix moved to stand at the other side of Klaus, who looked pleased with the outcome.

“You lot should make better use of your time,” he said maliciously. “I suggest burying your dead.”

“GET OUT!” Hayley screamed ragefully.

“Niklaus, you mentioned a plan,” said Elijah urgently. “I recommend you begin. Hayley and Hope are safe for the time being and not going anywhere.”

Klaus dared to smirk smugly in the wolves’ direction. “Shan’t be long.” He turned and left, and Beatrix huffed, going toward the body, only to have Hayley get in her way.

“Don’t you dare touch him,” she spat.

Beatrix shot her a cheeky look. “I won’t, then. But doesn’t it strike you odd that Klaus, who up to my knowledge hasn’t once even turned into a werewolf, left claw marks on a victim? He’s always preferred the heart ripping out part, I know that. But the claw marks don’t make sense to me.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to defend him after what he did!”

“Yes I am, because this doesn’t make sense to me. I was with Aiden earlier, and not long after, Klaus was here— sure, there is a blank space between, but this doesn’t add up anyway.”

“He admitted to it,” sneered Hayley. “Don’t rub in the fact that one of our own is dead!”

“I’m not rubbing anything in!” Beatrix hissed. “Aiden was the one who had Davina and I make that little bracelet for Hope to keep her safe! He was supposed to meet Josh and Davina! My gut is telling me something is off, and I’m just listening to it. Not that you would know anything about that, considering you can’t do magic even if you step out of this building.”

“You think that rubbing in that I’m not a witch is an insult to me, but let me remind you that were it not for Klaus turning you, you wouldn’t be able to do magic on command either!”

It took quite a bit of willpower for Beatrix not to pounce on her and beat her face in. Instead, she brushed her aside and leaned down, observing the marks that were left. 

“What are you trying to do?” asked Jackson gruffly. 

“The body looks like it’s been dead awhile, but there will still be a trace of some supernatural power. There are many spells that can give me a more detailed insight on what happened just before his death. If you help me carry him just outside, I can try and figure out what might have occurred.”

Jackson nodded immediately, motioning for Hayley to step back. He lifted the body gently and carried it right out of the doorway, setting it down carefully. Beatrix knelt beside it and slowly put her hands on Aiden’s chest, mumbling some words very fast and quietly, her palms beginning to glow. She started to hum, and then frowned.

“There are traces of a witch’s spell,” she said, looking up at the wolves. “I cannot tell who, but a witch did this.” She ran her hand over the marks, and pressed two fingers down, beginning to siphon. Little by little, the marks disappeared, and the only thing that remained was the gaping hole in Aiden’s chest. “There. It was made to look like that.”

“So, Klaus put a witch up to it when he found out Aiden told Jackson the truth,” muttered Hayley. “Just fucking perfect…”

She walked into the other room, and Elijah followed. Jackson slowly picked the body back up and lay it back on the table. He rummaged in his pocket and extracted the bracelet Davina and Beatrix had spelled, going over to the sleeping Hope in her cradle and putting it on her.

“I’m sorry that I hit you,” said Jackson when he sensed Beatrix was watching him.

She walked closer to him, and rested her elbows on the bars of the cradle. “I’m sorry that someone killed Aiden. He didn’t deserve to die. He was a good man. I may not have known him well, but I got to speak with him today, and he was clearly a caring and trusted wolf.”

Jackson looked back over his shoulder, to where Hayley and Elijah were having a very angry conversation. Beatrix made no effort to hear. She didn’t care. 

“We’re the odd ones out when it comes to those two,” mused Jackson quietly when he noticed her watching them as well. 

“Seems so,” she murmured. “Hayley likes you but she likes Elijah more. Elijah likes me but he likes Hayley more. We’re the ones that get screwed over. I don’t wish to have a problem with her, but her presence flares my temper up.”

“Same whenever I’m with Elijah. It makes me murderous. I’ve loved Hayley since I learned about her. Since I found out that I was meant to have married her. And from what I’ve found out so far, you and Elijah were quite the thing before. This Mikaelson crap is too complicated.”

“Tell me about it…”

They shared an empathetic look, finding slight peace amidst the chaos in knowing that at least, one other person could relate in some form.


	24. Chapter 24

**Beatrix left soon after.**

Her talk with Jackson had made her think, and when one typically wants to think, they draw themselves away from the crowd.

She crossed over from Algiers and back into the French Quarter. Aimlessly, she moved down Decatur St., remembering how in the prison world, she and Kai had made this walk many times. Sometimes, they’d race. Other times, they’d sit on the ground, away from each other, and just take in the beauty, hoping it would provide some ease in the distress they were feeling, not having known when they’d ever get out.

The phone flopped between her hands as she toyed with the notion of calling him. He’d almost insinuated that he cared for her. That he was attracted to her. Could sociopaths feel affection? Surely they could, granted all the Mikaelson siblings could probably each be labeled as sociopaths by at _least_ one psychologist or psychiatrist. 

It was bizarre for her to think of Kai feeling something for her. But the more she thought into it, it really wasn’t so far-fetched.

They’d been stuck without anyone but each other for eighteen years. Though they often snapped at each other and killed each other, especially in the first years, things had calmed down. They had joked several times. Had deep conversations about things that weren’t typically brought up in conversation. They were vulnerable in their tales and desires, and Kai had not brought up a wall when he told her about his childhood. He was abrasive, sure, and had a tendency for snarkiness, but at the end of the day he’d always bid her goodnight, and in the morning, he would seek to make conversation. 

He wasn’t always thankful, but he was honest in his sentiments, and did not fear communicating what was on his mind. She supposed someone who didn’t know Kai as deeply as she did would hear his morbid jokes and make assumptions that wouldn’t go away. There was no denying he was sadistic, and a murderer, and someone with very blatant disregard for human life. 

But then again, so were many vampires, and people loved them. Damon had a girlfriend, and Damon had clearly done terrible things, especially killing a pregnant woman. Beatrix felt a shiver run down her spine when she thought about how Kai would be doing the same, soon. 

Kai loved to laugh, and he was energetic. He was a diligent student when she’d taught him magic, and he’d ceased being overly cruel after he realized she wasn’t going to treat him like crap. She wondered if maybe, had Kai not been neglected, he might have been a better person, more willing to open up and show his truly fun side. She wished it to be true.

She made the turn onto Ursulines Ave. and glanced back down at her phone. She could call him now, or wait until another day. Chances were, he might not pick up so soon after his confession.

And yet, she dialed his number.

She was greeted with a yawn. “What’re you doing up at these late hours?” he inquired.

“Walking outside,” she said simply, finding herself smiling when she heard his groggy voice. “It feels so fresh. I’m strolling through where we used to walk.” 

“What’s on your mind?”

He knew her so well. Sure, she had not really hesitated to pour out her entire life story to him over the years. But even so, he had taken the time to get to know her. He understood her emotions better than anyone nowadays. He knew what mannerisms indicated which mood she was in. He could hear the slightest change in her voice that let him know she wasn’t feeling good. He always seemed to know when she wasn’t doing well, and he always brought it up, as if giving her an in to talk to him about it. 

“Hayley and I almost tore each other’s faces off, you know.”

“I’d have paid to see that kind of fight. No doubt you could beat her. She’s a hybrid, sure, but her nature is wolfy. Yours is witchy. Vampire natures aside, you’d tear her apart.”

“Well, the fight would have started inside of a building where I couldn’t do magic.”

“Pssh, you’re no weakling. We did a lot of hand-to-hand combat aside from magic. I know that you can kick ass. She wouldn’t have stood a chance once you got out of that damn building. Two flicks and you’d have ripped her heart out.”

“I would have had to live with the guilt of tearing my niece’s mother away from her. So, I guess, it’s good I didn’t go through with it. I wanted to. She’s cool, but not lately. We’re both on edge.”

“Any other symptoms of an episode? Or have you been doing some breathing exercises or some shit?”

“Just working on calming myself down, really. The feeling has subsided. For now. Have Josette and Alaric set a date for their wedding yet?”

“Nah. Right now, their main concern is the baby. I never understood all the hype about a kid in utero. Technically, it’s not even a baby. It’s— what do you call it? An embryo, or a fetus, or whatever. It can’t even breathe or do anything on its own and yet, they act all excited.”

“The one thing I recall from being an OB/Gyn was how often the mothers would tell me that they were so scared that if they celebrated it, they’d lose it. So many of them came to me for procedures to get pregnant because they hadn’t been able to do it just in bed. Their partners were always terrified, too. I guess it gives some people a lot to look forward to, by paying attention when it hasn’t been born. The happiness helps mask the fear, and in the end, if it survives, that initial fear dissipates, and turns into the longer lasting one that exists through the kid’s whole life. Worrying about their school stuff… all that.”

“Okay, you didn’t need to get all _doctor_ on me. Speaking of that, though, Josette is a doctor. I’ve been reading up about her… she’s like, famous. Invented this thing called a Laughlin clamp. Heard of it?”

“If that invention was recent, definitely not. I haven’t been reading up on anything medical lately. If I go back to Medical School sometime soon, maybe I’ll learn about it.”

“Heh. That’s funny to think of— you were a doctor before she was even born. For all we know, you could have been the doctor that delivered us.”

“Highly doubt it, I never worked on the West Coast. And I’m not sure I want to think of the fact that I might have helped your mother give birth to you.”

“Ah, you don’t want to think that you missed your chance to snuff me out. Pity.”

Beatrix rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”

“In another world, maybe Elijah would have been a doctor, and he would have delivered you. Out in the sad, lonely bayou.”

“That gave me a very weird image in my head.”

“How did your mother even manage it by herself? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Instincts, I suppose. But she must have helped women give birth before, when she was still living with her family.”

“D’you think I’d make a good doctor?”

“Oh, certainly. If you were to put in the work, I think you could be an excellent surgeon. Your hands are much steadier than mine.”

“Do I detect sarcasm or—”

“No. I’m not being sarcastic. I’m serious. You should go to Med School with me.”

“Ew, imagine being your classmate? I’d rather die.”

She let out a soft laugh, already nearing the Mikaelson compound. “Yeah, now that I think of it, you’d be an insufferable study buddy.”

“Good thing I don’t like group projects anyway. Listen, I’ll call you tomorrow, alright? I just had an idea and I want to do some planning.”

“Sure. Goodnight, CobraKai. Thanks for picking up.”

“Goodnight, Trixter.” 

He hung up, and with a smile still on her face, she tucked her phone away and entered the compound, going upstairs to Klaus’s room. She found him pouring himself a drink. 

“If it isn’t the Heretic,” said Klaus, already sensing it was her. “Have you come to hound me regarding what’s happened? I can only imagine the things you were saying about me to your siphon boyfriend.”

“I don’t talk about you to Kai, who, like I've said a million times, is not my boyfriend,” said Beatrix, leaning into the doorway. “It wasn’t even you, was it? You didn’t kill Aiden.”

“Of course not, Beatrix, but I do not wish to get into an explanation of that,” answered the hybrid harshly, turning to face her and looking unamused. “I have already been talking to Camille about it.” He took a sip of his drink and brushed past her, heading toward his art room. With a frustrated growl, Beatrix followed.

“Klaus, you don’t need to make yourself seem like a dickwad just for shits and giggles! You say you want the werewolf army ready to help you, and now you have them believing you killed one of their own!”

He whirled around just before entering the next room, and pointed his finger in her face. “Don’t you dare lecture me right now, witch!” he spat furiously. He turned into the room, and the two found Elijah already there, holding a paintbrush and looking out the window. 

“You put them in the paint,” said Elijah, turning to Klaus. “Father’s ashes, the earth from sacred ground, all hidden in plain sight.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Klaus. “You’re supposed to be guarding Hayley.”

“She’s gone,” said Elijah. “She and Jackson took Hope, and you will not find them, brother.”

“You helped Hayley escape?” Klaus snarled. “With my daughter?” He turned to Beatrix, but Elijah drew his attention back.

“I assure you, Beatrix had nothing to do with it,” said the elder Original. “She’d only just left when we formed the plan. Someone had to protect the child.”

Klaus immediately launched himself at Elijah, shoving him backward onto the railing. “HOW DARE YOU?!” he bellowed.

“Klaus, stop it!” cried Beatrix, running forward as Elijah shoved Klaus away. “Elijah— please, he didn’t kill Aiden!” 

Klaus simply held his hand up to prevent her from getting closer. “I’m a hybrid, Elijah,” he sneered, “why provoke a fight you cannot win?”

Elijah simply moved forward and extracted a dagger, stabbing it into Klaus’s heart. Beatrix leapt back in surprise as Klaus let out a loud yell, staggering against his brother. “For Hope,” said Elijah quietly as Klaus began to desiccate. He dropped him to his knees, and Beatrix turned wildly as Rebekah and Freya entered the room. 

“He didn’t kill Aiden!” cried Beatrix. “Why— why did you do that?!”

“Even if he did not kill him, he would prove a problem now that Hayley seeks to run with Hope,” said Elijah calmly as Freya moved to examine Klaus, making sure the dagger was lodged in properly.

“So you’re just going to let her run away with only wolves to defend them?” shrieked the Heretic. 

“The wolves are more than capable of helping her—”

“No they aren’t! Even with such numbers, Dahlia will defeat them easily! You— did— did you even think to cast more protective spells before they left? A series of cloaking spells, to mask their presence and maybe change their appearance? An anti-tracking spell to secure them from locator spells? A concealment spell for backup? An enhancement spell to make sure the wolves have a bit more strength? What about a shield against Dahlia’s proxy spell? You— you should have fucking told me!”

Elijah was silent, and Rebekah slowly moved forward to touch her arm. “Beatrix, I know it was sudden, but we—”

They all went silent when the bells of the St. Louis Cathedral began to toll. The open window let the sound flood in— the eerie and familiar tune that Dahlia whistled not long before. 

“She bested us with ease— Hope is just in more danger now!” insisted Beatrix when the bells came to a chilling stop. “None of you thought ahead!” She knelt beside Klaus, still contemplating what to do. Her fingers twitched, wondering if perhaps she’d be fast enough to pull the dagger out and run with it…

When she stood and turned around, Rebekah very suddenly slapped some anti-magic manacles on her. “What the fuck is this for?” Beatrix snarled.

“I know you’re considering undaggering him,” she said quietly. “And we can’t have you do that.” 

“So what, you’re going to have me roaming around with my hands tied like a prisoner?” 

Freya shook her head. “Not roaming around. You’ll be spelled into your room.”

Beatrix looked up at Elijah desperately. “Seriously? Seriously! You’re letting them do this to me?”

“I do not wish to see you like this, Beatrix,” said Elijah gently. “But I can see the look on your face. If you will not put your magic away, then we will simply let you sit with the plan for a bit, until you decide how you would like to help. We’re all doing this for Hope, not for each other. I will not let harm come to my niece because you are being rash in your dislike of Hayley.”

“No, what you’re doing is locking me away so I’m not a problem,” she whispered bitterly, beginning to tear up. “You’re doing to me just what the Gemini Coven did. Because I’m not acting the way you’d like me to. Because I’m not the person you want me to be. If I’m not subdued, you see me as a threat. Don’t pretend you’re locking me away for Hope’s sake. Because if it was for Hope, you would have told me so I could have done many spells to protect her. You’re locking me away because you know I agree with Klaus.”

“You are his sireling, and as such, you are more likely to follow him. I can see that, as much as I do not wish to believe it. My brother will do more harm than good for his daughter. I cannot have you aiding him in that. Please, understand what we are trying to do. You love Hope as much as we do.”

Beatrix glared at him, tears now steadily rolling down his cheeks. To him, perhaps, this made sense. But she knew he saw her as a threat to Hayley, not to Hope. Elijah didn’t understand her pain, her trauma. Hearing the story wasn’t enough. She hadn’t spoken with him in detail yet, because of everything that was happening. He didn’t know how much it hurt her to know that he thought this was best for everyone.

“I’ve spelled the manacles so that you can’t break them,” said Freya as she and Rebekah led her to her room. “But, if you tap them against the floor three times, I will be alerted that you wish to speak, and we can come together to chat about how you want to help, if that’s the decision you come to.”

Beatrix said nothing, and walked into her room, ignoring the two as they chanted a spell to keep her in there. She kept her back to them, not wanting them to see the tears still flooding down her face. 

“I’m sorry, Trix,” said Rebekah softly. “We don’t want you to get hurt because you side with my brother. Klaus brings destruction. I worry you’ll get caught in the crossfire.”

“Cast a silencing charm,” she said blankly, not acknowledging what she said. “I don’t want to hear anything that’s going on in this bloody house, and I don’t want you all hearing me.”

Freya and Rebekah shared a look. They conceded, and left right as they performed the charm. When they closed the door, Beatrix let out a loud, angry scream, slamming the manacles onto her own lap, and beginning to sob angrily.

Were they seeing something she was not?

Yes. As Elijah paced his room, he couldn’t help but worry. They had not noticed the signs of madness in her before, until it was too late. But now, they could recognize it. The tiniest of ticks under her eye, when she was getting worked up. How her pupils started to dilate faster each time she got aggravated. Beatrix herself had been the one going mad, and had never seen these things in herself. But Elijah had a gut feeling. And the devil be damned if he wasn’t going to take the safe route this time. No, he would not force her to shut away her magic. But in his mind, he felt he had to act early to let her sit out a battle that might solidify the fragility that she had not yet tuned into. Though he was aware that his methods were greatly flawed, he did not know what else to do. Letting her be free had yielded poor results in the past, as there was more and more that would anger her with each passing day. Isolation had healed her in the past, letting her get her fury out by herself, in a safe space, so that her mind would be eased in a way that it wouldn’t with interaction in the outside world.

Of course, there was no proper method to cure the madness within.

It was what she was born with. A time would come when there would be no stopping her mental destruction. There was no witch in that world who could understand how her brain worked. It wouldn’t be until years later that anyone would have even a chance at comprehending the complexity surrounding Beatrix La Salle. Because the problem lay in the fact that no one really knew much about the Mayans. No supernatural being knew about Chamer’s magic, or the fine details behind Ixazaluoh’s bargain, or the way that a being could be changed after being born with dark magic. Beatrix was meant to have died already, years ago, before her birthright of black magic could start to affect her. But her Heretic nature was keeping her alive, and as time went on, it was damaging her.

But naturally, no one knew the implications.

She had cried and screamed and thrown things around, kicking and thrashing and finally curling up on her bed, whimpering. She didn’t know how to cope properly. Usually, a good scream or two would produce a burst of magic that alleviated her. But with the manacles, she was getting no relief.

She hadn’t slept consistently through the night. Nightmare after nightmare plagued her mind. The smallest of noises was making her paranoid, frantic, and she twitched and turned and sought a comfortable place, to no avail. 

It was early the next day when her door opened, and she saw Elijah. Her face was stained from how much she’d cried, and she looked downright miserable. However, the anger was mostly burned out, and with pained gratefulness, the Original hoped that this was a good sign.

“Itza,” he said, stepping past the barrier. She was too weak to get up. “I’m so sorry.”

“If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have trapped me,” she said hoarsely.

He let out a sigh. “I spoke with Camille. She told me about Klaus’s admittance to not killing Aiden. At least, I am pleased my brother did not harm that innocent man.” He walked over to her dresser, observing the items on it. “Cami is going to help Davina and Rebekah for today, therefore, if you ask Freya to release you, the Claire tomb will have those three ready to welcome you to their project. I do not believe Freya is on board with what they are planning, but you may like it.”

“Oh, Freya’s not on board?” scoffed Beatrix lightly. 

“No. She wishes to have Hope as a decoy to trap Dahlia. The others are finding a way around that, to not endanger her. Rebekah assures me they will figure something out.”

“You’re trusting Rebekah, who’s started practicing magic for the first time in her life only weeks ago?”

“I trust Rebekah with my life,” he answered, turning to face her. 

She glared up. “Is there ever going to be anything between us again, or should I stop tormenting myself over that?” she grumbled bluntly.

He gave her a saddened look. “I do not know. I wish I did, and I apologize for everything being so complicated. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, and yet, it’s all I’m doing.”

“You can change that, you know. Hayley is married now. You’re still pining after her. It’s unfair to Jackson. Maybe you don’t care about me anymore, and maybe Hayley will only ever see Jackson as a friend, but he is new to this Mikaelson drama and that sucks, because he’s the odd one out. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s a good man, Elijah. And I don’t like having problems with Hayley. I thought we might be friends, but it’s clear the both of us don’t like the idea of the other as competition. You can choose to act better.”

“I am not choosing either of you,” he stated. “I will not contribute to growing hatred between you. I have strayed away from Hayley. I believe you and I should remain only friends. We were that, once. Eventually… I would of course like something more to blossom again. But I fear I will only hurt you if I rush into it.” He pursed his lips. “Do you not feel it, Itza? That feeling seeks to destroy you again. It’s trying to take over you.”

“Then let it take over!” she hissed, feeling her eyes watering once more. Everything was too complicated, and she hated it. “It’s about time I died anyway.”

“You don’t mean that, Itza…”

“Don’t I? You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Elijah.”

He reached for her phone, which lay flat on the dresser, and held it up. He seemed to click a few things before raising it to his ear, the dial tone ringing.

“Hey, Trixter,” came Kai’s voice. 

“Malachai Parker, I presume?” said Elijah, the smallest of smirks on his face as Beatrix straightened up and looked at him in surprise.

There was a deadly silent pause. “Let me guess, Elijah Mikaelson.”

“Yes. I have here Beatrix, who I think would very much like to speak with you. She believes I do not know her very well, but I believe I am correct in assuming that in her present state, you are the only one who she will not snarl at.”

“What the hell did you do to her?” Kai demanded harshly, and Beatrix could picture him sneering. “Make no mistake, Mikaelson, if I find out that you hurt her—”

“I assure you, she is in one piece. Disheveled and clearly in need of outlet, but alive. I would not dare harm her.”

“Pass the phone to her now.” His tone was commanding, and Elijah raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Beatrix as if he was amused. He went closer and handed it to her. She took it shakily and held it up to her ear. “Kai?” she said softly.

“What’s wrong? What the fuck happened?”

Beatrix looked up at Elijah, who seemed to take the cue to leave the room. When the door shut, she started to cry again. “T-They locked me up,” she whimpered lightly. “I…”

Between sobs, she explained what’d happened. Somehow, Kai was able to understand her, and at the end, he let out a quiet sigh. Then, in Spanish, he whispered a few soothing words, from things he’d heard her say in the prison world. Though he hadn’t applied himself to learn the language, he’d heard her speak it to herself a few times, along with French, and had picked up a few things that he knew to be statements to calm her down. She sniffled, and he kept repeating the words over and over, gentle lullabies without a tune that he was hoping would calm her down.

“Hey, listen, I got to go,” he told her with unnatural softness. “But hang on for me, alright? It’s going to be fine.”

Sadly, she nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “A-Alright,” she whispered. “T-Thank you…”

He had hung up and she had started to cry again, curling up into a little ball and forcing herself to try and sleep again. He had likely run out of nice things to say. That was always how it was when he comforted her— at one point he’d just stop abruptly because he wasn’t sure what else to add if she wasn’t already calming down. He didn’t have the patience to wait by her side for her to cheer up.

It was around lunchtime when she woke up, and found someone had placed some food for her on her dresser while she rested. A meager sandwich— probably brought by one of the wolves who had access to the compound, because otherwise, she was sure the person would have tried to make contact.

She had only eaten half of it, and had flopped back onto her bed boredly, glaring at the manacles. She would have been able to break through them, similarly to how Freya had, but these had been spelled to prevent that, and without siphoning, she could do nothing. 

There was a knock on her door. “Go away,” she said weakly, even though whoever was outside wouldn’t hear her. Another knock, and she growled. “Go away!”

The door opened, and she nearly fainted. Standing in the doorway was none other than Kai Parker, one hand gripping onto the handle.

“Well, it was easy enough to figure out which room was yours,” he said casually. “The only one with the door closed. This place is ridiculously empty, I thought there would be more people here?”

She was still staring at him, perplexed. Was she dreaming?

“Oh, come on, does it really come as a shock that I’m here?” he said, pressing his palm onto the wall and beginning to siphon. “While we were on call, I booked a flight. Pretty cheap, especially when you can spell someone into paying for you. Hitched a nice ride, too, first class. Enjoyed a mimosa. Had enough magic in me to do a locator spell when I arrived, and just a teensy bit more to make sure no one was home except you and Klaus. Who, of course, is still daggered. I’m not here to free him, though, just you.”

He finished siphoning, and Beatrix felt the air clear, as the silencing and barrier spells came down. Kai moved forward and siphoned the manacles next, inhaling loudly. “Mmm, this is a good amount of magic. I’ll be very pleased with this,” he said, tearing the manacles off the instant the spell fell. “I have to leave now, though. If that witch put the spell I think she did, she’ll be here in no time, and she can’t catch either of us here. At least, you’re free to—”

He didn’t finish. She jumped into his arms and pulled him in for a tight hug, trying not to cry, since they didn’t have much time. “You came all the way here for me?” she whispered into his chest.

“Duh. Does it look like I came for the food? Ooh, speaking of food, I’ll take that sandwich.” While still holding onto her, he reached one hand out to grasp the rest of her food, as if wanting to avoid discussing how affectionate she was being.

She had pulled away, and he’d cast her a smirk. “Feeling better now?”

“Much better,” she breathed, looking up at him and bringing a hand to brush away a few messy strands of his hair.

When she leaned in to kiss him, he met her halfway.


	25. Chapter 25

**Were it not for the imminent danger Kai was in, they probably would have done more than kiss.**

Instead, the instant they disconnected, panting and desiring more than a single heated peck on the lips, Beatrix had to cast a protective spell over him before sending him back off to the airport.

“Don’t get yourself locked up again, alright?” he said, smirking at her as he gave her one last smack on the ass. “I can’t be flying over every time you get in trouble.”

“Thank you for this,” she said, waving as the taxi that he was in began to leave.

She didn’t intend to stay in the compound. Part of her was actually itching to be impulsive and head back to Mystic Falls with him— to surprise him. But she knew her job here wasn’t done. Everything else aside, she was in this to protect Hope.

Therefore, she made quick work of heading to Lafayette Cemetery, where she found Davina, Rebekah, and Cami sitting down and enjoying a few lattes.

“Beatrix!” said Davina happily. “I didn’t know if you’d stop by. Freya let you out?”

“Sure,” said Beatrix in response, concealing a smug grin. “What’s the move, then?”

“We’re thinking of transferring Hope’s power source into that golem,” said Rebekah, pointing at the clay figurine on the table. “We just need to fix the spells.”

Cami raised her hand before she spoke. “I spoke to Vincent Griffith, and he said we’d need to replicate a heartbeat to fool Dahlia. He made a few notes for us about that.”

“I’ll get to work on it, then,” said Beatrix, rolling up her sleeves. “I’m sure I can incorporate all that together. Have you decided on what to link the golem to in order to simulate a heartbeat?”

“Freya,” said Rebekah. “Elijah wanted it to be her. It’ll force her to help us.”

Beatrix pursed her lips as she reviewed the notes. “I don’t like the idea of that. A witch like Dahlia, if she has any inkling that it’s a trap, will sense that the heartbeat is different sounding from how a baby’s normally is. I think the golem should be tied to a separate being— a living baby— so that two heartbeats are heard, one of an adult and one of a baby.”

“We can’t bring someone else’s baby into this! Besides, Elijah is insistent upon it being tied to Freya. It won’t let her take any sort of outs. She wanted the real Hope for this, and it made him trust her less.”

She snorted. “Fine.” She was in no mood to argue, given how she’d only just escaped her confinement. Sometimes, she wondered if Elijah had had a recent head trauma. He claimed he wanted to protect Hope, yet he helped lock Beatrix up. Now, rather than listen to a witch’s advice, he was dictating part of the plan. 

Clearly, his affections for Hayley were clouding his judgement.

Closer to the evening, Rebekah and Cami left, while Beatrix remained behind with Davina, who was looking nervous.

“Are you okay?” she asked her softly.

“Did Rebekah tell you about the unlinking spell?” she said. “The one that Eva Sinclair put up to link herself to me, and the other kids she was trying to take power from?”

“I believe she vaguely mentioned it. Why?”

“Later tonight, we’re going to get Rebekah unlinked from us. I just… well, I don’t know if I trust her to do the spell. She hasn’t ever studied magic, and she’s not good with pronunciation. You know how important that is— if she messes up, she could get us killed.”

Beatrix winced. “That’s why the bayou witches from the 1700s raised me so properly. Reading and writing and history— it tied in with linguistics and made me more well-rounded when it came to spells. In the moment, I found it quite tedious, but it turned out to be useful. Even in my travels, a lot of young witches are taught language applications before they’re allowed to start performing spells.”

Davina wrung her hands together. “D’you think maybe… you could come? Vincent is going to be there, but it might be nice to have another witch. Would you be able to join in on the spell?” She handed her a piece of paper to look over. 

Furrowing her eyebrows, she read into the spell. “I’d need to side-link. You two would hold hands and do the main spell, and I can chant softer, holding each of your shoulders at an angle to aid you with my power, but not disrupt the spell that needs to occur between you.”

The younger witch beamed up at her, and let out a small sigh of relief. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I… I don’t know Rebekah or Vincent all too well, but I do know Marcel, and even though he has a thing with Rebekah, I know he trusts you most when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

Beatrix smirked. “Well, he’d better trust me. I _raised_ him.”

“He speaks very highly of you. It’s no wonder everyone’s in a frenzy lately, you’re like the savior that showed up when they needed you most. I’m just glad I’m not being asked to do a thousand spells alone.”

“They sure don’t treat me like a savior. Locking me in my room… I swear…”

Davina bit her lip. “Freya didn’t let you out, did she?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because we’ve been here all day and Rebekah didn’t get a text from Freya saying you were on your way. She told us that’s what she’d do if she decided you wanted to help. I don’t think Rebekah even thought twice about it, but I noticed.”

Beatrix hummed. “Maybe I broke out on my own.”

Davina raised her eyebrows. “Really? I heard about what they did. Spelled manacles. A boundary spell and a silencing spell. Someone let you out.”

“What do you want me to say? Casper the friendly ghost came to do me a solid? Er— maybe solid isn’t the right word, as opposed to favor. But regardless— I’m out, and I’m not being destructive, if that’s what they were worried about.”

“Do you think it would benefit you to be around witches again? Like, part of the French Quarter Coven?”

The Heretic scrunched up her nose. “Definitely not. I was only in a coven until I was of age. I haven’t been a real part of one since then. No coven has ever wanted me in this country, because of what I am. If I’d chosen to stay in Arabia, I could have called the Kemiya Coven my kin.”

“Vincent is wanted as the new Regent of the Nine Covens. But he doesn’t want that position, and he was telling me that I should take it up. It would give me the power to bring Kol back, and I would have the authority to bring you back in, if you’d ever like. No pressure, though. If you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t have to feel obligated to come.”

“Thanks… we’ll see. Most likely the answer will be no. But, if possible, I would definitely like to help so we can bring Kol back.” 

This, at least, made Davina smile. 

When Rebekah returned later on, she looked highly worried. “Hayley says she’s not coming back,” she murmured as she gathered the spell for the unlinking. She rubbed her arms, and thunder sounded outside. “This is terrible— a storm is brewing, and she says she’s staying away permanently with Hope…”

“Honestly, I don’t blame her, but it’s kind of messed up,” said Beatrix, shaking her head. “Then again, maybe my opinion is biased because I was never in that situation when I was a mother figure. Plus, Marcel wasn’t a baby.”

“Klaus is going to be furious when he finds out,” the witch said worriedly. “I fear my brother may be bent on a rampage once we remove that dagger from him…”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Well, are you ready? We should get going, if Vincent is already here.”

The three walked out to the altar outside the lycée, where not long ago, Esther had been planning to put Rebekah into Cami’s body. Vincent was waiting on the side, rubbing his hands. Rebekah set the spell down in the center, and Davina set candles around the paper. With a wave, Beatrix ignited the candles. 

“All right, then,” said Rebekah, clearing her throat. “Just a little bit of witchy business. How difficult can it be?”

Vincent moved closer. “Now, remember the hard part was Eva linking herself to the kids. And now, it’s your body, so you just gotta do the unlinking yourself.” He gestured toward the paper. “Read what I wrote, ‘Abracadabra,’ link severed.”

“Lovely,” said Rebekah, nodding. “I guess I’m hoping I don’t turn us all into a horde of bull frogs.”

Davina and Rebekah linked hands across the altar, and Beatrix stood at the head of it, putting her hands loosely on each woman’s shoulder, all three closing their eyes. 

The two began first. “ _Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran. Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran._ ”

Beatrix then joined them, making sure her voice was much softer, and she was only concentrating enough to aid them. “ _Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran. Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran._ ”

“Okay, almost there, keep going,” said Vincent encouragingly. 

One last time. _Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran. Sai por ce kai sai ma nous couve gran._ Davina and Rebekah’s hands were thrown apart, making Beatrix jump back. Looking up both worriedly and eagerly, Rebekah glanced at Vincent. “Is it finished?”

Vincent extracted a switchblade, flicked it open, and handed it to her. “Only one way to find out.”

Reluctantly, Rebekah took the place and pressed it onto her index finger, slicing it open. Holding her breath, Beatrix looked toward Davina, who smirked and held up a wound-free finger.

“There we go,” said Vincent, looking highly relieved. “Now, Davina and I need to run to get everything settled with the coven. You said Marcel was coming to pick you two up?”

“Yes,” said Rebekah, beckoning for Beatrix to follow her as Davina put the candles away. “He should be here by now.”

Once they tucked the materials back in the Claire tomb and bade the others farewell, Beatrix followed Rebekah to the exit of the cemetery. 

“Freya was at the compound,” the Original told her. “Wondered where you ran off to. According to Elijah, he didn’t let you out. So… how did you do it?”

“I won’t go spilling secrets,” she said sternly. “You all had no right to lock me in, and you know it. If I tell you, it’ll be used against me if you try to do it again.”

“For the record, I didn’t want to. Even after we closed the door, I begged Freya to reconsider and to just let you out in the morning. They insisted we needed to do it. I didn’t want a fight… I worry about you, Trix. Last time was scary. You were losing it and I thought we’d never get the real you back.”

“I assure you, I’m fine, Bex. Don’t worry about me.”

“You’re not fine, though. My idiot brother is toying with your affections. After he thought he lost you, he became so different. I fear he has too many problems committing now. I apologize that he’s being terrible. He has no right to do it.”

Beatrix shrugged. “It’s not your task to apologize for him. If he can’t figure things out, he needs to be the one to tell me. I appreciate it, but it’s up to him.”

“I’ve always wanted you to marry into the family. We all consider you a Mikaelson, but I think it’d be nice if you could take the Mikaelson surname. You don’t even use your last name now because you don’t like it.”

“Arguably, I haven’t liked any of my names. Which is depressing, considering I get to choose them myself, for undercover. I’m too indecisive. Beatrix Mikaelson does have a decent ring to it, though.”

Rebekah smiled, and nudged her as they reached where Marcel was, waiting with a black sedan.

“This looks comfortable,” said Beatrix. “Maybe I should get a car.”

“Who’s riding where?” asked Marcel, opening the passenger side doors. 

“I’ll go in the back, since I got shotgun last time,” offered Rebekah, bowing playfully as Beatrix hopped into the seat.

They managed to arrive back at the compound before the rain really started falling, which was nice, but unsettling. The day hadn’t looked like this before, and it was concerning to think that now, out of nowhere, it was dark and musty outside. By the time they reached the upstairs sitting room, it sounded like a typhoon outside.

“It’s done!” said Rebekah happily. “I’m de-linked from those children, the coven’s almost grateful, and we even beat the rain!”

“I trust Davina will play her part?” asked Elijah. 

“Yeah, against my better judgement,” sighed Marcel.

“Stop being so overprotective,” Rebekah chided. “If Davina’s made Regent to all nine covens, she'll be granted the power to resurrect Kol _and_ the political clout to unite the witches to our cause!”

Beatrix winced. “Well, things won't be very easy even if everything goes well,” she said, glancing out the window. “I have a feeling this storm is Dahlia’s doing. It’s an insane amount of power.”

“Well, regardless of her power, she needs to be dealt with,” answered Elijah, giving her a curious look. “Fortunately, we have a weapon.” He looked over to where Freya was seated on the couch. 

“Look, no offense,” said Marcel, “but are we really going to put _all_ our eggs in one still-kinda-mysterious basket?”

Freya looked up, unamused. “I assure you, I am _quite_ motivated to aid in Dahlia's defeat. Particularly now that Elijah has forced me to be the bait.”

Elijah seemed unbothered. “And, if we should fail, Davina and the witches will take up the task, at the very least distracting Dahlia long enough for Hope and Hayley to disappear.”

There was a loud crash of thunder. Rebekah walked over to the window and started to close the one nearest them, but as she pulled it down, she flinched. “Elijah!” she shrieked, motioning to the window pane, which was covered in blood. 

Elijah darted forward to observe, and Rebekah yanked Marcel’s arm, presumably to check in the room where Klaus had been in his coffin. The elder Original turned to Beatrix, his jaw set tight. “Tell me you didn’t let him out.”

“I didn’t let him out,” said Beatrix honestly. “I considered it, but didn’t do it. I swear—”

“No!” they heard Rebekah say downstairs. “Where the hell is he?”

Freya stood up, glaring at the Heretic. “Tell us the truth! Did you let him out?”

“I already said no! Compel me to say the truth, search my mind— I don’t care! I didn’t let him out. I didn’t have the time.”

“How did you get out?”

“I’m not telling you that! There is literally no need!”

Elijah’s jaw twitched. “Beatrix— was it Dahlia? Did she let you out?”

“No, it wasn’t her! You— you don’t think she let _Klaus_ out?”

“That would make sense,” said Freya gravely as Marcel and Rebekah returned to the room. “It has to have been Dahlia. This was all part of her plan. No doubt, she killed Aiden, hoping that the blame would fall on Klaus. The family would divide, and she could win Klaus to her side.”

Elijah gritted his teeth. “Until Niklaus is found, Marcel and I will scour the city.”

“Wait— this is absurd!” said Rebekah. “Nik would never align with Dahlia.”

Freya threw her hands in the air. “You continue to defend him!”

“He’d kill anyone who’d try to take his daughter,” Rebekah insisted.

“Isn’t it Hayley who’s trying to take his daughter?” muttered Beatrix under her breath.

“ _Their_ daughter,” Elijah emphasized gruffly. “Now, let’s not forget that Dahlia is the true enemy here!”

Freya shot up a fake smile. “How good, then, that the spell we need is finished. Out in the courtyard, I have placed Klaus’s paintings on the four ends of the main square. The paint of his artwork, combined with my blood, will render Dahlia vulnerable. The moment she passes between the paintings, she will be mortal.” She extracted a small knife and handed it to Elijah. “You can kill her… using this.”

Elijah looked down at it in surprise. “Father’s knife?”

Freya nodded. “I thought it appropriate. I presume Rebekah will be performing the necessary spell? Beatrix should likely be waiting somewhere nearby us to supervise.”

“If that is the plan, then I believe we should divide,” said Elijah, nodding toward Marcel. “We will search. You three, rest, we will need you to be ready for tomorrow.”

**_**

“Now, you’re certain this will work?” asked Elijah cautiously as Freya sprinkled herbs over the clay golem. 

“Let’s not toss around words like ‘certain,’” said Beatrix. “I don’t feel too good knowing we’re linking it to Freya’s heartbeat. But alas, if that’s what you seek… whatever.”

“The spell is flawless,” said Freya kindly. “You all did a very good job on it. Though, I might have preferred Elijah ask my permission before volunteering me as the bait.”

Elijah smirked. “Yes, I’m not in the habit of asking for permission.”

“Oh, you gave up on being a gentleman?” said Beatrix, forcing down a snarky tone.

Freya smiled, as if wanting to laugh. “Well, we have all that we need.” She turned to her brother. “Once Dahlia is lured into the killing ground, you will do what is necessary. 

Rebekah raised her brows at her sister. “You’re rather calm, which is odd, because there are a million ways this plan can fall to pieces.” 

The eldest Mikaelson sighed and began to pace the room. “I admit… first, I was upset when Elijah ignored my plan in favor of his own. You are all _so_ determined to protect Hope at all cost. Perhaps I'm envious— no one ever fought _so hard_ to protect me.” She stopped in front of the hung portrait of Klaus, and turned to face Elijah. “Then, I recalled what I saw when I looked inside your mind. The day you all swore an oath to stand by one another— always and forever. There's strength in such vows.”

Beatrix, who of course, was not a part of this particular conversation, awkwardly looked at the floor. 

“I can assure you,” said Elijah, “it has not been free of consequence.”

Rebekah snorted lightly. “That is an understatement. Ask me, that vow has been more trouble than it's worth.”

“And yet, here you are— proving my point,” said Freya, walking to Rebekah and taking her hands. “Family defines you, even if it demands sacrifice. My entire life, I have longed for what you have. It is better to at least glimpse it, facing death, than run forever and know nothing of family.” She moved again and stopped before Beatrix. “I think I may be the most jealous of you. Not born of our mother or our father, and yet, you are accepted as a Mikaelson. When I met you in 1914, I thought perhaps you must actually be one of the siblings. When I learned you were not, I was quite surprised. Of course, certain events took place that night that let me in on that fact, but all things aside… I wish I’d have had what you had.”

There was an evil moment when Beatrix wanted to say ‘ _Fuck, I wish I could give you what I had_.’ Perhaps, she might be in a better place if she had never met the Mikaelsons. But, in the end, she was reminded that they were still her family. They were just… quite dysfunctional. She couldn’t imagine actually having been born into their ranks.

Evening came once more, and all was ready. The bells of the St. Louis Cathedral once more began to ring in Dahlia’s signature tune, echoing through the Quarter and into the compound. Beatrix lurked beside Elijah, who clutched the knife in his hand. In the courtyard, Freya picked up the golem, just as Beatrix heard Rebekah begin the spell in one of the upstairs rooms.

“Would you look at that,” Elijah whispered in surprise when suddenly, Freya was cradling a perfect replica of Hope in her arms. 

Footsteps. The two froze and watched as Dahlia entered the compound through the hallway, looking toward Freya and ‘Hope.’

“I come all this way to collect what is owed to me, and whom should I find?” mused Dahlia.

“Tante, please listen,” said Freya shakily. “I betrayed my siblings so I could procure this child.”

Dahlia took a few steps forward, not yet entering the space bordered by the paintings. Beatrix felt her heart hammering in her chest. Surely, Dahlia was already sensing this was a trap…

“I offer her to you now, and in exchange, I only ask that you release me from my obligation to you,” Freya implored. 

Dahlia’s gaze wandered away from her niece, and toward the paintings. She took another step forward. “How curious, that you should bargain with me for that which is already mine. But, by all means, make your case for why you should be freed. And then I will decide whether to release you or kill you, once and for all. You surprise me. Betraying the family you meant to coax to your side? How very ruthless of you.”

Freya bounced ‘Hope’ in her arms anxiously. “I had hoped that they would welcome me as a sister… they have neglected to trust me, and continue to rub in my face that they have others they consider family, and not me. I… I was wrong.”

Dahlia gave her a sympathetic look. “Of course you were, you poor little fool! To think that Esther's wicked little progeny could ever care for you? They are known the world over for obscene acts of violence, and yet, you sought them out instead of staying where you belong. With me.” Another few steps, and she would be within the courtyard boundaries. “I offered to protect you for all time, and you left me. And now, it is you who is alone! But then… who could love a deceitful little wretch?”

Too late, Beatrix had the feeling that they weren’t alone. She’d tensed up, and was about to turn to Elijah, when the golem crumbled into dust in Freya’s arms, making the witch’s eyes go wide as Dahlia realized that this was all a lie.

“What have you done?” she said in a deadly whisper.

Freya lunged forward and yanked Dahlia right into the center of the courtyard. “ELIJAH, NOW!” she cried. 

Both Elijah and Beatrix surged forward, Beatrix to hold Dahlia down, and Elijah to stab her. But halfway, they were both tackled onto the floor. Beatrix’s body hit the ground painfully, and she let out a cry of pain as both Elijah and Klaus’s bodies landed on top of her.

“And so the wheel of betrayal circles round once more!” snarled Klaus as he yanked Elijah up and threw him against the wall. Beatrix shot up, but Dahlia was ready. A forceful sweep of her hands, and both Beatrix and Freya were sent flying to perpendicular ends of the room. Freya let out a terrified scream, and Beatrix made to get up, only to be tackled down again, this time by Marcel.

“What are you doing?” she spat, her eyes wide as he put back on the manacles she’d had on before. “Marcel—”

“I can’t stop myself,” he said weakly. “I’m sorry.”

Above, in the balconies, Elijah and Klaus were still brawling. They were snarling angrily at each other, as if aiming to kill. Beatrix kicked Marcel in the shins and turned to slam the manacles against the wall to try and break them, but he pulled her back.

“Beatrix, stop it!” he said desperately. “I’ve been compelled to rip your heart out if you fight back— please!”

“Klaus wouldn't dare to do that!” she said, but her words were drowned out by more furious yelling from the brothers. Beatrix could no longer see Dahlia or Freya, but she could hear the cruel witch saying something, masked by the yells.

“He’s lost his mind, Beatrix, he told me very specifically to kill you if you fight!” said Marcel. “Please— just stay still! I already had to knock Rebekah unconscious and I don’t want to kill you, _please_!”

An agonizing cry tore out from Elijah, and Beatrix glanced up as Klaus broke his arm, twisting it to a painful angle. The hybrid slammed his brother against the balcony railing, forcing him to watch the scene below as the vampire that Beatrix recognizes as Gia walked in.

“Elijah?” she said fearfully, looking up at the Original with wide eyes.

“Gia,” said Klaus wickedly from above, “be a sweetheart and take off your daylight ring.”

“NOO!” Elijah bellowed, struggling wildly against his brother’s grip. “NOOO!”

“I can’t stop myself,” said Gia weakly, reaching for her ring.

“GIA, NO!” yelled Marcel, who must have been compelled to do nothing, because as much as his limbs were shaking, he was holding Beatrix so that she wouldn’t fight.

Nothing could have been done. The poor woman had no choice. She slipped the ring off and dropped it to the floor. Elijah let out a piercing yell as her body went up in flames. She screamed in pure pain only once, then her body dropped to the floor, completely burned.

“NOOO— NOOO— AHHH!” cried Elijah, thrashing wildly as he whirled around to hit Klaus.

“I have to stop them, Marcel, they’re going to destroy each other,” said Beatrix weakly, feeling her chest aching from what she’d just witnessed.

Marcel knew there was no way around it. Next thing he knew, Beatrix was going to fight against him, and he’d have to tear her heart out. So, he was left with grasping her head in his hands and snapping it to the side.

At least, she’d wake up once the conflict was over.


	26. Chapter 26

**Beatrix woke up to silence.**

It was an odd thing, considering the conflict that’d been happening not long before. She felt sore as she tried to move her limbs. She had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. Groaning, she sat up, her vision still hazy.

Gia’s dead, charred body lay just where it had been before. Not far from where she lay, were the unconscious Elijah and Cami.

“Oh, shit,” said Beatrix, speeding toward the blonde first. Her neck had blood seeping out of it, and she was pale and limp. The Heretic bit into her wrist quickly and coaxed the blood into Cami’s mouth. “Come on… come on… dammit, what the hell happened to you?”

She leaned down to observe the wound, ignoring the hungry feeling it created in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t going to succumb to it. There was no way she’d ever let herself hurt Cami.

It was a bite. Someone had definitely fed on her, and Beatrix feared it had been Klaus’s doing. She continued to urge her blood into her, taking her sleeve and cleaning her up as she started to heal. “Cami… Cami please wake up…” 

There was a gasp, and her eyes shot open. Beatrix moved back as she looked around wildly, still registering the situation. “Beatrix,” Cami breathed in surprise. “Beatrix— Elijah— he’s got that blade in him.”

“What blade?” she said, following Cami as she rushed to Elijah’s side. 

“Papa Tunde’s blade— I don’t know if you know who that is,” said Cami quickly. “But it— it’s inside him—”

Beatrix knew exactly what she was talking about. She placed her hand over where Elijah’s shirt had been torn, and drew a deep breath before plunging her hand into his chest. He gave a loud, hoarse gasp, his eyes remaining closed, as she closed her hand around the blade and yanked it out. He wheezed and sat up, now alert, struggling to catch his breath.

“Elijah!” said Cami, holding him upright. “Elijah— listen to my voice— I’m right here.”

Beatrix put her hand on his chest and began to siphon, sucking out the residue of the magic that surrounded the blade. Elijah grunted in pain, but soon was able to draw a deep breath, blinking wildly as he was alleviated.

“You both have to listen to me,” said Cami urgently. “He got in my head, he spoke to me. This— all of this— it’s a trick!”

“Are— are you talking about Klaus?” Beatrix cried. 

“You’ve lost your mind,” Elijah told the blonde without hesitation. “He’s lost his mind…”

“No— no— he needed her to trust him, so he can do what he needs to do!” Cami insisted, her eyes wide. “He had to make it look convincing!”

Elijah was clearly not having it. “What? To— to what possible end?

Cami drew a deep breath. “He told me her secret. I know how we can kill Dahlia.”

Beatrix and Elijah went silent, and shared a look.

How could this be? How was this only an act? Klaus had compelled Marcel to restrain Rebekah somehow. He’d compelled him to rip Beatrix’s heart out if she fought. He had Gia kill herself right before Elijah’s eyes. He’d fed on Cami, who was innocent. 

Neither of them spoke. Elijah got up, and brushed himself off, and seemed to be deep in thought. He looked devastated as his glimpse carried toward where Gia’s body was. He went into another room and returned with a sheet, laying it gently over her. He stared at the floor for an instant, before glancing up at Cami, and seeing she had healed completely after Beatrix gave her some blood.

“What do you mean Niklaus had a plan?” he said sharply, with an air of harshness. He began to shout, looking livid. “We had a plan! A plan he has mercilessly destroyed—”

“Your plan wouldn’t have worked, Elijah!” said Cami loudly. “When Klaus got into my head, he said your plan would fail, so he had to enact one of his own.”

“But— but what do you mean by that?” Beatrix asked. “How— how the hell did he get into your head?”

“When he grabbed me— when he was feeding on me! I don’t know how to explain it, but it happened!”

“And what, pray tell, is he planning?” snapped Elijah.

“He has to get her to link to him,” said Cami calmly.

Beatrix’s mouth went dry, and Elijah let out a loud grunt of frustration. “My brother wishes to bind himself to our _enemy_?” he cried incredulously. “She’ll be virtually indestructible! She had already beaten us with ease when she wasn’t bound to him!”

“He said I had to convince you that everything he had to do, he had to do alone,” continued Cami, remaining patient as always. “You had the wrong ingredients to kill Dahlia.”

“What?” cried Beatrix. “But it was bloody Freya and Mikael who found out— where the hell could they have gone wrong?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure that he knows exactly which are the correct ingredients now— he just has to buy time before he finds them!”

“How?” snarled Elijah. “How does he intend to buy time? Why— why did he prance off on his own without so much as a warning? Why did he have to…”

He trailed off and sat down at the edge of the center fountain, staring down at Gia’s body. He put his face in his hands, and shook his head. 

“I’m sorry about your friend,” said Cami gently.

He glared up at her in disbelief. “Are you?”

“I don’t condone Klaus’s actions,” she replied. “I’m trying to help you. All I know is Klaus will do whatever he has to do—”

“KLAUS WILL DO WHATEVER HE HAS TO DO FOR KLAUS!” Elijah bellowed, standing back up. He tore out his phone and dialed a number, holding it up and breathing heavily. The other two were deadly silent. For about five minutes neither woman spoke as Elijah dialed the number over and over. “Hayley isn’t answering her phone,” he said, his voice shaking. “WHAT HAS HE DONE?!”

The three turned when, from the other room, Marcel and Rebekah, in her Original body, came in. “Don’t blame the messenger,” said Rebekah, looking worried.

“Rebekah?” Beatrix breathed. “Marcel—?”

Rebekah shrugged. “Looks like Niklaus had a lot on his to-do list last night… and, as for Hayley…”

“What is it?” Elijah said immediately.

Marcel let out a sigh. “When Klaus attacked me, he stole the spell that I used on the Crescent wolves.”

Beatrix clapped her hands over her mouth. “What? He— he didn’t—”

“So, he would condemn her to the body of a beast?” Elijah said lowly. 

“She’ll be human once a month,” Rebekah said quickly, rushing forward and grasping her brother’s shoulders. “We will find her and we will help her.”

Elijah tried to push Rebekah back. “No—”

“We need to focus on who needs saving today,” the blonde continued. “Freya called— Dahlia is incapacitated. They are two hours north at an orchard near Pale River. She has Hope and—”

Elijah sped off before she could finish.

The Heretic sank down onto the floor. “Why the hell didn’t he tell us anything?” she hissed. “Why— why did he choose to be destructive instead of telling us how to help?”

“When has Klaus ever communicated the way he should?” Marcel scoffed, coming to kneel beside her. “Beatrix, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m just— in shock. This is so much information… I don’t even know how to process it.”

“It’s going to be okay,” said Marcel, though he didn’t sound sure. “We… we’ll go through with it, as needed.”

“But the point isn’t to just go through with it! We should have known from the start! And this— this thing with having the wrong ingredients— what the hell was that about? Klaus could have left us a message about that— told me, or anyone!”

Rebekah shrank down onto the fountain, crossing her arms and letting out a shaky sigh. “I’ll never understand Nik. I really do hope he has some bloody idea what he’s planning…”

“He had no right to do that to Hayley,” said Marcel, helping Beatrix stand and sit down comfortably on one of the outdoor chairs. 

“I can probably undo that spell, but it will take time, and a lot of power,” said the Heretic quietly. “Dahlia’s magic is going to be hard to overcome. And with the Crescents stuck as wolves, it puts them in much more danger of being killed. Klaus really didn’t hesitate to enact his revenge… regardless of how it fits into this idiotic plan of his.”

While she didn’t really enjoy Hayley’s company lately, Beatrix would have never wished such a thing upon her or the other werewolves. She knew what it was like to be trapped, and it absolutely sucked.

It wasn’t until hours later that Elijah returned, with Freya and Hope in tow, along with the daggered body of Klaus, and an unconscious Dahlia. By then, Cami was gone, and the air around the compound felt thin with tension. 

“What the hell is the move from here?” said Beatrix, kneeling to observe both bodies alongside Marcel. “He didn’t leave instructions, did he?”

“The ingredient that was wrong was my blood,” said Freya, looking ashamed. “I wasn’t the witch Dahlia loved most. Esther was. Meaning we need her blood.”

“How the hell do we get her blood?” said Marcel. “Is there a spell that maybe all your siblings can do to isolate Esther’s specifically or…?”

“That would take far too long,” said Freya. “I think I have an idea. Klaus gave Davina Kol’s ashes so that she could raise him, now that she has the power to do so as Regent. If we were to get Esther’s body, gather its ashes, and have Davina raise our mother instead, we could get her blood.”

“What?” cried Rebekah. “Nik is demented! Are we really to dig up our mother, burn her to ash, swap said ash with Kol's, and then trick Davina into using up her last chance to bring someone back from the dead? Not to mention we lose the opportunity to save Kol... if Davina doesn't turn us inside out!”

“Or, we dig a deep hole and leave both our problems at the bottom of it,” scoffed Elijah. 

“We could always choose the more permanent option,” said Freya, glancing bitterly at Dahlia. “Find the white oak stake, kill Klaus, and Dahlia dies with him.”

Beatrix growled. “Both of those plans are bullshit! If we kill Klaus, then Marcel and I die— along with every other vampire in Klaus’s bloody sireline! And I’m not okay with ruining Davina’s one chance to bring back someone she really cares about! That’s not fair— we can’t just take advantage of her like that! Haven’t you all forced her to help you with enough?”

But none of them responded. Rebekah had shrieked, and dropped down beside Klaus. “The dagger! It’s bloody melting!”

Unfortunately, this was true. The handle was beginning to become shorter and shorter, no doubt Dahlia’s magical fight against their link. 

Beatrix quickly waved her hands over them, murmuring several words in an attempt to halt the spell. “This won’t hold for long,” she said gravely.

Elijah sighed loudly. “Then, we have no choice but to finish the task that Niklaus has set.”

“Yes,” said Freya. “Now, we need someone to go speak with Davina, if you do not wish to follow the other option—”

“No!” snapped Beatrix. “I just said I don’t like that option! Neither of them! We need to find another way to bring Esther back!”

“There is no other way!” said Freya hotly. “I respect your opinion, Beatrix, but this is an urgent matter. Davina can wait.”

“Oh, so you’ll force her to suffer when she’s worked so hard to bring back _your_ brother? Kol is my best friend, Freya, and I’ve come to care for Davina, just like Marcel does. If you consider us family, you should value how much she’s helped you in the past, and you should listen when I say that we need another way to go about this!”

“I agree with Beatrix,” said Marcel, standing up. “I don’t want to disrupt Davina’s plan. She’s hardly been eating and sleeping because she’s been doing so much research. Now, she has a burden to carry as Regent, but it’s given her one blessing— the power to bring back Kol, who I may not like, but I respect, because he treated her the way I would want my daughter to be treated. We can’t tear that blessing away from her. It’s wrong.”

Freya pursed her lips, and seemed to share some sort of agreement with her siblings. “If you will not help, you cannot be a part of this at all.”

“I won’t be locked up again!” Beatrix snarled, leaping away from the group. “You’ll have to kill me before you try that!”

“Beatrix, we don’t want to do that to you,” said Elijah impatiently. “But Davina will have to wait. If Dahlia becomes free of Niklaus, she will reign destruction on New Orleans, and it won’t matter whether Kol is back or not.”

The Heretic gritted her teeth. “He’s your BROTHER! YOUR BROTHER! He cares so bloody much about her, Elijah, you can’t just shove her aside like that!”

“I am not casting her aside—”

“NO! Shut up!” she screamed furiously. “You— listen to me! None of you ever treated Kol with respect. He’s told me quite a bit about your history, and you know what the common theme was? He was left out! You three— Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah— always the in group! I’ve never met Finn formally, but fine, let’s say he really is an insufferable prick. Doesn’t mean you ever had the right to leave Kol out of everything! You chastised him for his blood lust instead of trying to help— instead of realizing that he was almost worse than a Ripper! You’re all hypocrites— you were there when he died and now, you’re pushing him back on your priorities list just because you’ve never been as close to him! There has to be another bloody way— there always is one! One that doesn’t involve ruining Davina’s hopes and shoving your brother away from his chance at a good life!” 

She was shaking, and she could see them drawing nearer, already prepared to restrain her. “You can lock me up, you can muzzle me— it won’t change the fact that I’m right! You’re selfish bastards— the lot of you! Anyone who isn’t a Mikaelson by birth immediately gets shoved aside while you uphold your stupid ‘always and forever.’ Not to mention that you mistreat even your own flesh and blood! There is another way and you’re all just too driven by selfishness to think of looking for it!”

She didn’t get to hear their response, because Elijah snapped her neck. 

**_**

She awoke on the floor inside one of the tombs of the Lafayette Cemetery.

She shot up, seeing an unconscious Davina beside her. Next to them, Marcel was waiting anxiously.

“Good, you’re awake,” he sighed. 

She looked around wildly. “How long has it been?”

“Not that long. After you got put down, Rebekah and Elijah left to get Esther’s body. I stayed with Freya at first, because she was trying to buy time and slow Dahlia’s spell down as much as she could. But after a while, it wasn’t working. Somehow, Freya got ahold of the white oak stake— probably when I was searching for the materials she needed. She almost killed Klaus, but he and Dahlia woke up. She left with Freya and some of Hope’s blood. We need a locator spell, but when I got here, Davina was passed out. I’m guessing they already got Esther back, and are with her, waiting for the location from me, somewhere.”

Beatrix gritted her teeth and rolled over quickly, putting her hands on Davina’s forehead. The girl shot up, gasping for air, and right as she looked up at Beatrix, Vincent Griffith ran into the tomb.

“Davina!” he cried, helping her up. “Are you okay? I sensed something was wrong.”

“Elijah hijacked my spell,” she said angrily, looking at Beatrix like she might cry.

“But you’re alright?” asked Vincent, looking around. “All of you?”

Davina shook her head. “I’m not okay! I'm furious, and I can do something about it. I am Regent of all nine covens. I will turn every single witch against that family until they are _broken_.”

“Fair enough,” said Marcel, patting her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry, D. We tried to stop it. All I ask of you is that the war wait one day. Just one day.”

“What are you two even doing here?” asked Davina.

Marcel didn’t answer her immediately. “You’re right, D. You're learning what Beatrix and I've known for over two hundred years— that if you're not a Mikaelson, you're cannon fodder. But, right now, their problem is my problem.” He hesitated to continue. “I need you and Beatrix to find Dahlia.”

Davina scoffed. “You want me to help them?”

“Unfortunately, that’s what he means,” said Beatrix, pulling her in for a hug. “Dahlia is a major problem. She wants to kill all of them. If Klaus dies, Marcel and I die. So does Josh. And everyone that the three of us have turned.”

When the two pulled away from each other, Marcel took Davina’s hand. “Please, help me, right now, and we all live to fight another day. We can’t locate Dahlia without the two of you. And I know it’s a ridiculous thing to ask after what they’ve done, but we need to do it.”

Davina didn’t want to agree, of course, but she and Beatrix shared a look, and for the moment, they both decided to just get it over with. 

Together, it didn’t take much work. The instant the spell was done, Marcel texted Elijah and Klaus, and they were left in the tomb with nothing to do other than feel indescribable anger.

“I’m so sorry, Davina,” said Vincent when the younger female sat down on the floor, head in her hands. “I know that was your one chance…”

Beatrix knelt with her, taking her hands. “We will figure something out. I hate thinking like this, but Kol will have to wait until we find a solution. I swear, I will do anything I can to help. Even if it means integrating myself into the French Quarter Coven. I want him back, and I’m not going to help the Mikaelsons with anything unless it benefits our goal, alright?”

Davina began to cry, and she moved forward into Beatrix’s arms. The Heretic held her gently, looking up sadly at Vincent and Marcel, who both looked distraught.

Time ticked by, and they anxiously awaited any sort of news. So far, none of the Mikaelsons had texted Marcel back. Beatrix hadn’t even brought her phone. Davina had fallen asleep in Beatrix’s arms, tired and frustrated, and likely dreaming up a plan to tear down the Originals, after such a betrayal.

“I don’t understand it,” said Vincent, looking down at them. Beatrix and Marcel had just been explaining what’d gone down in the compound just hours ago. “I was under the impression that you, especially, Beatrix, were highly respected by them.”

“They respect Marcel and I, in the vaguest terms of respect,” she murmured. “But at the end of the day, their blood matters more. They’ve shoved me aside plenty of times. They care, most times. Klaus, at least, doesn’t try to hide that he mostly cares when he needs me. They are our family, in a sense, because Marcel and I haven’t got anyone else. But he and I, we’re each other’s actual family. The Mikaelsons have done us dirty time and time again.”

Vincent pursed his lips. “Let us stray away from that topic, then. What’s this you mentioned about them locking you up? Apologies if it is a sensitive subject, I just don’t know the story behind that.”

She let out a soft breath through her mouth. “I don’t know the correct term for it. Some sort of bipolar or mania, dissociation, anger— whatever it may be. It just happens. I get overwhelmed with emotion. It’s been happening to me since around… 1823, after I came back to New Orleans and started living with the Mikaelsons to raise Marcel. I was more and more temperamental for no reason. Most days, I could control it. But in 1914, Elijah forced me to put away my magic, and I just blew up. In 1917 I was a monster— terrible, cruel, violent. I couldn’t control myself. It hurt. It took a lot of sleeping spells to calm me down. I was better for awhile after that, but then I got put in the prison world, and I suppose my anger has been building up again ever since. Elijah insists that I’m heading into another episode. I don’t think so, but… whatever. I don’t care, anymore.”

“Would you mind if I… took some of your blood?” asked Vincent, stepping forward. “I’ve studied a lot of ways that magic and the lack thereof can affect a witch, and I can try and do some research and figure out what may be causing it.”

Beatrix offered him her arm. He moved to reach for one of the sacrificial blades laid out, and nicked a bit into her wrist, before going to put the blade into the empty jar Davina had left on one of the counters.

At the very least, an explanation might be somewhat nice.

She returned to the Mikaelson compound late in the night. She sensed Elijah was not there. She could hear Klaus speaking with Hope in her room, presumably a bedtime story. She could hear the shower running— probably Rebekah.

She went to her room and sat on her bed, feeling drained and yet, simultaneously overwhelmed. She picked up her phone and saw she had four missed calls from Kai. Furrowing her eyebrows, she dialed back immediately. 

“Trixter!” he answered soon after. “Damn, I’ve been trying to reach you. I thought maybe you were dead.”

“I left my phone at the house. A lot of shit went down. Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Come to the front.”

“Huh?” she sped out of her room and to the entrance of the compound.

Kai smirked over at her, and hung up, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Miss me?”


	27. Chapter 27

**He almost didn’t catch her when she jumped into his arms.**

“Woah there— still human!” he said, hands flying to her hips. “You move way too fast for me.”

“You should be used to it by now,” she said, a huge smile on her face as she dipped down to kiss him.

He had kissed her back, setting her down and gripping her bottom roughly as she draped her arms around his neck. “I’m guessing you beat Dahlia?” he chuckled in a brief moment when she pulled away, her forehead resting onto his.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I wasn’t there to see it, but Klaus texted Marcel— how are you here? What— what happened?”

“Well, I went back to Mystic Falls and tried to be nice,” he mused. “Worked out okay-ish, but no one really believes that I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. You remember Damon? Apparently, his mommy is one of the vampires trapped in the 1903 prison world. He and his little girlfriend Elena want to go in and get her because his brother shut his humanity off.”

Beatrix leaned back and furrowed her eyebrows. “His mother is one of them—?”

“From what I’ve gathered, she’s the one that was a regular vampire— the rest are Heretics like you, just born from the Gemini Coven. They want me to go with them.”

She frowned. “What? Why?”

“They need Bonnie to go, but she’s still really salty that I left her behind in the prison world… so before giving her the 1903 Ascendant I found, I told her I’d only go if she went. I actually want to apologize for what I did. After she got out— that was a whole mess, by the way— I got to thinking about how they trapped you here, and I just… I felt guilty. I want to be better.”

She let her hand run down his face. He was growing a beard and mustache again, which suited him. Her fingertips traced back up his jawline, running into his hair. “I’m proud of you,” she said, finding herself smiling even more. “That’s a good start.”

He smirked. “Right? It feels really nice. The problem is, Bonnie doesn’t trust me. Honestly, I don’t blame her. So, she said she’d only go if I brought you along. She doesn’t want to be alone with me. Dunno why she can’t just accept that I actually want to be a good guy.”

“I don’t mind going. It’d be cool to meet the other Heretics,” she said. “There were… six of them, I think? Three women, two men.”

Kai made a face. “I don’t know if we’re going to meet them. Damon is very clear about only going in and getting his mother. My guess— he actually doesn’t know about his mommy having any traveling buddies in there. I mean, I didn’t even know— you were the one who told me about them.”

“Now, what’s all this about?”

Beatrix turned to see Klaus, holding a sleeping Hope in his arms. He cast Beatrix a smirk. “Is this the boyfriend that you won’t stop calling?” he inquired with a devilish look.

“Klaus, this is Kai,” said Beatrix, her cheeks reddening a bit. Even though Klaus was a past lover and a close friend of hers, considering what’d happened earlier, now it felt like she was introducing a male friend to her father. “Kai, Klaus. Oh, and little Hope.”

Kai awkwardly waved, and Klaus just rubbed his daughter’s back. “Granted that tonight is a celebratory evening, I am inclined to allow you to stay the night, siphon,” said the hybrid. “As long as Beatrix does not neglect her silencing spells.”

“Klaus!” Beatrix hissed. Kai merely laughed, and stepped forward to glance at Hope. “So this is the one who the fuss is all about. She’s really adorable.”

The hybrid nodded. “Well, I shan’t keep you two from getting into your throes of passion,” he said, making Beatrix growl. “I expect you both to attend breakfast. We can further this discussion there.”

He sped away, and Kai put his hands on his hips. “I like that guy.”

“Probably because he’s the most unhinged of the Mikaelsons,” said Beatrix with a cheeky grin. She tugged Kai’s hand and sped him to the hallway outside her room. “Since he said you can stay the night, you can pick. My room, or one of your own?”

Kai stared at her like she was crazy. “Your room, obviously.”

She led him in, making sure to cast a silencing spell as per usual. “I’m assuming we have to leave tomorrow for Mystic Falls?”

“Yep,” he said, sitting on the bed and patting the mattress experimentally. “I already got us both tickets. Can’t wait till I’m a heretic and I can just compel everyone instead of casting spells to get them to do what I want.”

“Patience, darling,” she said out of habit, going to get some extra pillows from her closet. “All in good time. There are still a few months left before summer.”

Kai hummed. “But only one month until your birthday. The big— what is it? Three hundred and twenty nine!”

“Ew, I sound so old when you put it like that,” she said as she added the pillows to the bed. “You’d be like, forty now. And yet, I still look twenty, and you look twenty-two.”

“Meaning we’re both still hot as fuck,” he said, tucking his hand under her chin as she passed him, making her look at him.

When he had kissed her, she’d gone weak at the knees. Perhaps, in the prison world, their relationship had only been built on dependency and lust. Yet, that night had shown her something different. Something that made her thoroughly believe he was trying to be better. 

He had been patient, soothing, and careful in a way he hadn’t been before. Between unceasingly strong movements, dirty words whispered to make her quiver, and electric touches that made her arch her body into his, he’d focused on making her feel amazing. Never before had he taken such worry in her pleasure. He’d kissed her tenderly, and moved her body in a manner that made them both cry out and hold onto the other, wanting to remain latched to that bliss that could not come from anything else. 

When they were both far too drained to continue, he’d placed his hand under her jaw and kissed her once again, eyes closed even when he pulled away, still trying to catch his breath. She’d nearly whimpered at the brief loss of his touch, and put her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat growing steadier. In the morning, he’d still been at her side, awake and tracing shapes over her bare back. 

“Good morning.” His voice was groggy, and it made her shiver. “We should probably shower.”

“Yes, we should,” she whispered, looking up and seeing his eyes weren’t even open yet. She had already recovered by then, but as he was still human, he remained appearing quite tired. She leaned up to whisper in his ear. “I’ll help you out.”

And so it had happened again, this time in the bathtub, with her repaying the favor he’d done last night. The shower afterward lasted longer than it probably should have, but it didn’t matter. They were still interacting in a more wholesome way than they had in the past, feeling elated just with the other’s presence. 

“You two were _really_ at it last night,” said Klaus nonchalantly when they sat down for breakfast.

“I’m not falling for the ‘you forgot to put a silencing spell’ trick again,” said Beatrix as Klaus handed her a glass of blood, freshly squeezed from the wrist of one of the waiters he’d compelled to serve them.

Klaus had smirked. “Tell me, siphon, is it true you intend to become a Heretic?”

“Yes,” said Kai, already enjoying the eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage he’d served himself. “It’ll be the most win-win way to kill the Gemini Coven in one blow. I die momentarily to wipe them out and wake up as a vampire who can do magic at will? Perfect.”

“I like this one, Beatrix, you should bring him around more often,” said Klaus, taking a sip of blood. “Should you go through with it using Beatrix’s blood, you know I shall be your sire, correct? After all, Beatrix is a vampire due to my efforts.”

Kai nodded. “Yeah, I know how the whole sire thing works. I’m guessing you’re going to want me to do stuff for you from time to time?”

“Clever. I would benefit greatly from having two Heretics at my side.” He swirled the blood in his glass. “The werewolf army greatly disappointed me. Marcellus will be granted the reigns to the city once more, to appease him after yesterday’s fiasco. No doubt, Davina is already plotting my demise…” he leaned over the table toward Kai. “You are quite welcome to stay here as long as you wish. We have a vacancy in this house, after all.”

“Must you rub in the fact that there is an Elijah-sized hole in this bloody place?” came the voice of Rebekah as she walked into the room. “Let me guess, this is the siphon boy from the prison world.”

“Rebekah, this is Kai,” said Beatrix gently. “Kai, Rebekah.”

“You’re the badass one,” said Kai, shaking her hand when she offered it. “The girls in Mystic Falls have a _lot_ to say about you.”

Rebekah shot him a wry grin, and turned to her brother. “Well? What are you going to do about the Crescent curse?”

“Rebekah, do not hound me about curses when I am still not finished with the most important meal of the day!” chided Klaus. “Can’t you see we have a visitor?”

The blonde growled, and turned to Beatrix. “You’ll do something about it, won’t you?”

“Once I get back, yes,” promised Beatrix. “I’ll get to work on removing the curse on the Crescent pack.”

“Where are you off to?” asked Rebekah, sitting down and refusing to look at Klaus.

“The 1903 prison world,” said Beatrix.

“Wasn’t that the one you would have been thrown into, if you and Kol hadn’t come home in a rush?” 

“Yes. We’ve got a little task to fulfill. But it will only be a daylong thing, so I can get started on the countercurse right after.”

Klaus huffed, and turned to Kai, as if wanting his support on the matter. “The mother of my child dared to defy me by taking her away. Is it not fitting that her and all the werewolves who aided her be—”

“Who is this?”

They all turned to where Marcel now stood in the doorway, Elijah right behind him.

“Marcel,” said Beatrix, smiling. “This is Kai.”

“Oh, I can answer this one,” said Kai with a childish grin. “He’s the one you raised.”

“No doubt, Beatrix did not waste time spilling all the information she could in the prison world,” said Elijah as he came forward, refraining from looking at Klaus.

Kai no longer looked amused. “Elijah. I was wondering if I’d get to see you today.”

“What, pray tell, is your business in our city?” said Elijah coldly.

“Let’s please not start conflict,” said Rebekah firmly, standing up. Elijah held his hand up to silence her.

Kai remained looking very serious. “I just came to get Beatrix. You know, give her a damn break after you left her trapped in her own room.”

Elijah sped forward and slammed Kai into the wall, his hand around his throat. Beatrix bolted toward them, but Kai had already gripped Elijah’s arm, siphoning enough that his hold loosened sufficiently for both Marcel and Beatrix to yank him back.

“You know what, we’re leaving now,” said Beatrix coldly. She turned to Elijah. “Whatever problems you have, they’re either with me or with Klaus. So don’t you dare go attacking someone else.”

She pulled Kai away, fuming as they made it back to her room. Kai rubbed his throat lightly, looking angry. “I’m so sorry,” said Beatrix softly. “I didn’t think he would dare to do that.”

He shook his head, breathing heavily and calming himself down“Not your fault. Now come on, pack a small bag and get a warm coat. The 1903 prison world is snowy, according to Bonnie.”

They hadn’t remained much longer in the compound. Once Beatrix had packed, she only stopped in Hope’s room to give her a kiss on the forehead before she and Kai hailed a taxi and made their way to the airport.

“I swear, once I become a Heretic, Elijah’s going to wish he acted completely different since the first moment he saw you again,” Kai growled, still looking livid.

“Hey,” said Beatrix calmly, taking his hand and squeezing it. “New leaf, remember? Breathe. He’s not worth getting mad over right now.” She was furious on the inside. But Kai’s presence was keeping her very balanced, and she had not thought to act upon her murderous desires after Elijah’s behavior. 

The flight to Mystic Falls was uneventful, and Beatrix and Kai both ended up reasonably calm by the time they got to the Salvatore Boarding House, which was now filled with people. 

“Finally, you’re here,” said Bonnie, who was waiting in the hallway. She cast a small smile to Beatrix. “Have to admit, didn’t think you’d come.”

“Kai wants to be nice, so I’m perfectly fine helping to keep him in line,” said Beatrix with a shrug, adjusting her coat and holding onto Kai’s arm as they went to Bonnie’s side. 

She extracted a large knife as Kai took out the Ascendant, and he chuckled. “Damn. Crocodile Dundee called. He wants his knife back.”

Bonnie gave him a cheeky look whine she cut into her palm. “Yeah, you know, he’s no longer a thing, and neither is that joke.”

“Ouch,” said Kai, looking mostly unfazed. He looked up as Damon came down the staircase.

“Never thought I’d be seeing you again,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched Bonnie drip her blood onto the Ascendant.

“Nice to see you too,” said Beatrix, though she wasn’t looking at him. There was another girl joining them, also in a warm coat, with a familiar sort of face that was hard to forget.

“Is this presentable attire by 1903 standards?” she said, showing her outfit to Damon.

“Whoa, who said you’re coming?” he said.

She looked at him like he was crazy. “To meet the woman who gave birth to the two epic loves of my life? Me.” She turned to Beatrix. “Hi. I’m Elena.” She offered her hand.

Beatrix shook it, looking over her face, and initially saying nothing. “I’m sorry— I’m Beatrix. You just look so much like…”

“Katherine? Been there, done that,” said Damon, looking irritated.

“Never met her in person, but I heard she was a peach,” said the Heretic sarcastically. “Still, whenever Klaus asked me to do locator spells on her with that little picture he kept… I’d purposely mess them up.”

Damon looked at Elena as if he still didn’t want her to go, but finally, he conceded. “Fine. Let’s go get Mama.” He linked hands with Elena, who put her hand on Bonnie’s shoulder. Kai and Beatrix moved their hands under the Ascendant. 

“ _Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema. Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema,_ ” Kai recited, closing his eyes and concentrating. 

There was a bright light, and when they all opened their eyes again, they were in 1903 Mystic Falls, with snow all around them. It was still daylight, but it wasn’t as bright as it was in 2013.

Well, isn’t this a picturesque slice of hell?” said Damon.

“You guys go ahead,” said Bonnie to Elena and Damon. “Kai, Beatrix, and I will start the locator spell on the Ascendant.”

Elena looked confused. “But Kai just had the Ascendant. Why do we have to find another one?”

“The Ascendant can’t travel between worlds,” said Beatrix. “Which means we have to find the mirror image here in 1903.”

“Page ten on the world-jumping rule-book,” he said sarcastically. “Shall we?”

Elena hesitated, and looked at Bonnie. “I don’t want to leave you alone with him.”

“She won’t be alone, I’m right here,” said Beatrix, waving her hand to emphasize the fact she hadn’t gone anywhere. “I’ll keep him in check.”

The three women turned to look at Kai, who was now trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. “He’s good now, remember?” said Bonnie quietly to Elena. “New leaf.”

Damon pulled Elena away, and Kai turned back to Bonnie, looking pleased. “New leaf? You believe me.”

“Hell no,” said Bonnie without hesitation. “But Damon and Elena need to meet his mom alone. So shut up, and let’s find the Ascendant.”

Kai just glanced at Beatrix like, ‘ _can you believe this girl?_ ’ and cut into his hand, putting the blood in her palm for the locator spell. Bonnie hardly acknowledged him, and the siphon tried to make conversation. “Beatrix, look at her palms. They’re all smooth.”

Bonnie ignored him. “ _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem. Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem._ ” 

Kai frowned. “Do you know why I’m here? Why I listened to you and brought Beatrix after you requested it?”

Bonnie continued to pretend like he wasn’t there. Beatrix beckoned for Kai to be quiet, but clearly, he was desperate to get her forgiveness. “Because my guilt keeps me up at night,” he said. When she didn’t respond, his jaw started to twitch. “I don’t— I don’t expect you to believe me. But I need you to give me one more chance. I swear I’m doing better now, you can even ask Beatrix. I want us all to get along.”

Once more, she continued the spell and didn’t acknowledge him. That was it. He snapped, and grasped Bonnie’s wrists, shaking her roughly. “Bonnie! LISTEN TO ME!”

Beatrix shoved him back. “Kai!” she hissed. “Calm down— breathe.” She took his hands, and he let out a harsh sigh. Bonnie looked at the both of them, afraid but also disappointed. Kai had reacted just as she expected him to. 

“I’m sorry,” Kai said, and he sounded like he meant it. “Oh my God— I didn’t— I didn’t mean to do that, Bonnie— I just— I got so worked up earlier too, and—”

“—but you did it anyway,” said Bonnie dismissively. “Because even if you’re telling the truth, the old you is still inside of you. Beatrix may be fine with you acting like that, but I’m not. The Ascendant is this way.”

She brushed past them and began to walk through the woods. Beatrix brought her hands up to Kai’s face. “Hey… it’s okay. You’re fine. She’s not going to recover so quickly. It takes time.” After all, she and Kai would be just as hostile if Bonnie had been the one that left them behind.

It took a few moments, but Kai’s breathing and heart rate steadied out, and he leaned his head against Beatrix’s. “You’re right,” he murmured. “Let’s just follow her and get the stupid Ascendant.”

They trudged after Bonnie, who was looking intently down at the snow. They walked for quite a bit before she spoke. “The spell feels stronger here,” she murmured, peering over a bush. “The Ascendant must be around here somewhere.”

“Why would the Ascendant be here?” said Kai, confused.

“I don’t know, I didn’t put it here,” said Bonnie irritably.

“If you don’t think I’m capable of change, why spend an entire day with me?” he said a bit coldly. “Why bring me out into the middle of nowhere, and have me bring my partner in crime to accompany us? I could literally gut you all over again. Your friends would never even hear you scream.”

Bonnie turned to face him. “Because maybe you’re right. I didn’t think Beatrix was good, but she proved otherwise, which is why I let her out with Damon. She brings out positive things that I didn’t think you could exhibit. Maybe, I wanted to see how nice you could be with her here.Maybe, deep down, there’s a part of me that believes there’s a sliver of good in you.”

Kai let out a laugh, taking Beatrix’s hand and looking pleased with this revelation. “And, you’d be right! Trixter, can’t you brush some of this snow away? Maybe it’s buried under a gigantic mount of—”

Both he and Beatrix stopped in their tracks. The Heretic let out a croak, and sank to the ground slowly, while Kai crashed down beside her. Beatrix could sense that whatever was stabbed into her was a piece of wood. But when she reached her arm back, she couldn’t grasp it. She turned wildly to see Bonnie had stabbed Kai in the back with the large knife from before. Again, she brought the knife down onto his hamstring. 

“Bonnie!” Kai gasped as she yanked him around and pinned him onto the ground. “What are you doing?”

“Gaining your trust, and then stabbing you in the back?” she sneered, holding up the knife. Beatrix’s eyes watered watching the scene— she could already feel the splinters entering her bloodstream. “Feels pretty sucky, doesn’t it?”

“Please don’t,” Kai begged.

“Don’t what?” Bonnie snapped. “Don’t— don’t leave you here? All alone? Drive you to the point of wanting to end your own life? I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF BECAUSE OF YOU!”

“Please, please, believe me— I’ve changed!” Kai cried. “Please— don’t hurt Beatrix— please— I’ve changed, I’ve changed— I swear!”

“I know,” Bonnie said darkly. “So have I.”

She brought the knife down to stab him, but in the blink of an eye, Kai grabbed onto Beatrix, and the two were cloaked, making the knife go right into the snow, and leaving them invisible. 

“Move, now!” Kai said, staggering up and pulling Beatrix with him. “Damn it— turn around.”

She let out a cry of pain and grasped onto the nearest tree, listening as Bonnie sprinted away, clearly to find the others. “Ow— ow— she got me right in the liver!”

“Hold still— I need to get this out,” he said, pulling her coat off. She began to shiver, tears springing into her eyes. She felt him leaning against her, too weak to hold himself up completely, but wanting to help her before he helped himself. 

She let out a loud scream when he started to remove whatever piece of wood that Bonnie had lodged into her. “Fuck— stop! _Stop_!”

“It’s stuck,” said Kai, shakily dropping to his knees. “She dug it all the way through— check your front.”

With her coat off, Beatrix could now see blood pooled over her shirt. She lifted it, shivering even more. Sure enough, she could see the tip of the wood piece protruding where the blood was coming from. Clearly, Bonnie had wanted to make sure that the removal wouldn’t be so easy.

“Damn it,” she hissed, bringing her wrist up into her mouth and biting into it. “Quick— drink my blood— heal yourself first.”

He hesitated, but when she dropped her arm to be near his face, he took it and started to drink the blood that flowed out of her. She whimpered and rested her head against the trunk of the tree, trying to listen out into the distance, but to no avail. For all they knew, the others had already left them behind.

She looked down at her stomach and winced, bringing her hand around the wood. “Crap— I’m probably going to come close to passing out when we remove this thing…” Share traced her fingers over the part in the front, and started to pull, letting out another piercing cry of pain.

“Here— let me do it,” he panted, standing up solidly as his wounds began to heal. He stood with one hand on either side of her body, and helped to coax the piece of wood out of her. It turned out to be a much smaller, easily hidden stake, which Bonnie must have prepared in advance. Beatrix suspected she’d come with the intention of killing Kai. Just her luck— she had been invited probably to be left behind with the other Heretics, which Bonnie most likely knew about. She expected Bonnie had never wanted to let her leave with Damon, rather, had only let her do so because she had seen Kai as the greater of the two evils.

She collapsed against Kai the instant the stake was out of her abdomen. He’d held her up and put a hand over her belly, muttering a spell that would hopefully pull every last splinter out with the blood. She let out a hoarse gasp and fell into his chest as she felt the wound begin to close. He yanked up her coat and draped it around her before putting his arm around her and pulling her back to walk as fast as they could back to where they’d been when they arrived. 

Both were still limping when they caught a glimpse of Bonnie, Damon, Elena, and presumably Damon’s mother linked to the Ascendant, which was starting to glow.

“BONNIE!” Kai yelled. 

“Bonnie, please,” said Beatrix weakly. 

All she did was smirk as the four disappeared.

Kai fell to the ground first, sinking to his knees, and by default, pulling Beatrix with him. He leaned back against a tree, starting to hyperventilate, but holding onto her like he was scared that she would disappear if he let go. He began to laugh, though it quickly turned into crying, his face contorted with horror and pain.

“She— she fucking left us behind,” he said between shaky sobs. “She trapped us, again.”


	28. Chapter 28

**It was eerily dark by the time they made it to the house.**

Beatrix and Kai were no longer limping, but they kept their hands clasped tightly together. Kai’s face was emotionless, his anger having overcome him. Perhaps, there might have been a chance for him to truly be good, but now, that was seemingly long gone. Beatrix herself looked rather angry, but she was mostly feeling frustrated. 

They’d picked up the broken Ascendant from the floor, and had pocketed the pieces, but there would be no Bennett blood this time. There was nothing more than snow and cold and no modern technology whatsoever. It was a pity that they were used to all the comforts of the twenty-first century by now. 

There was no telling how long they would be trapped in here for. 

The house was unfamiliar, but it stood right where the Salvatore Boarding House should have been. Beatrix assumed this must have been the original Salvatore home, adorned in proper 1900s fashion.

Beatrix lit a small flame in her hands as they began to explore. As they passed through each room, looking over the paintings and the small trinkets that served as decorations, Beatrix made sure to turn on every lantern they found. In the drawing room, she knelt before the fireplace and set the charred logs ablaze, which warmed them up quite a bit. 

It didn’t look like anyone really lived here. Either the Heretics were clean freaks who always tidied up after every day as if they were going to show off the house in a contest, or no more than one person had been living here in awhile. 

“This is cozy,” mused Kai, coming to lean onto her as they made their way up the stairs. “Where are your Heretic friends? Are they still playing house here or are they desiccated somewhere?”

Their questions were answered when they went into the basement. “Is this where they keep their fucking food?” said Kai, looking around. He bumped into something, and Beatrix brought her hand down to shine a light on it. Immediately, the two jumped back. “Oh crap!”

She made the flame grow brighter, and it became clear that the Heretics were indeed desiccated. Six of them, propped up in chairs in their 1903 attire, all greyish and with eyes wide open. “Do we wake them up?” asked Kai. “Wait— can they even hear us?”

The male nearest them blinked, and Beatrix nodded. “They can…” She gulped. 

Should they wake them? Should they leave them? They could pose a problem if they chose to devour Kai. It was possible that Beatrix and Kai could actually die this time. 

“Too risky to wake them,” she said, pulling Kai further away as six pairs of eyes followed them. “We can’t do it yet.” Of course, since she knew they could hear her, she wasn’t about to just leave them hanging. “Um… well, hello… everyone. My name is Beatrix La Salle. I’m not sure if you’d ever heard of me. I’m a heretic too— the first of our kind, sired in 1705. It’s difficult to explain so suddenly, but we’re here now, and we’re going to find a way to get us all out. I promise that we will feed you when it is time. There is no sense in waking you when we haven’t got a solution. But I swear, we will come and wake you the instant we figure out how to get out.”

When she finished speaking, she took Kai’s hand and pulled him out of the room. As much as she’d like to get to know her fellow Heretics, she and Kai could easily be overpowered by them if they chose to gang up and get rid of them. 

Kai noticed the concerned look on her face. “How about we go to our usual room, hmm? See what it looks like.”

“That’s a good idea,” she said with a tight-lipped smile, leading him to the staircase. They climbed quickly, hands still linked. Both afraid of letting go. Not wanting to be left behind or lose any sort of connection. 

Once upstairs, they went all the way down the hallway, to the last room. The door did not slide open easily, but Kai aimed a solid kick at the lower corner to unlodge it, and from there, it creaked open. Beatrix turned lit one of the lanterns that she found, and Kai scrunched his nose up when he saw how dusty the room was. “Well, this place hadn’t been used in quite awhile— even before 1903.” 

He wove his hands, murmuring lowly and turning in a circle, causing the dust to vanish, and leaving the room at least looking much cleaner than it initially was. He moved forward to the bed, and sat down, making a face when the mattress sunk in, and a loud cracking noise was heard. “Jeez, which freaks had this mattress before us?”

“Probably some long dead freaks,” said Beatrix, observing the closet. “This is completely empty— looks almost brand new. Whoever stayed here didn’t stay very long.”

“I read up on Mystic Falls history— this place was torn down not long after 1903. Must be why they didn’t bother to fix these things. I prefer the boarding house, to be honest. I read that that one was built in 1914. Much more modern. This place is at least as old as Damon, and I think he was born in 1839.”

Kai then ducked under the bed. “Ah, this is an easy fix. Thank fuck for magic, because I wouldn’t want to do this by hand.” He murmured another spell, and remained with half his body under the base for about a minute before popping out, and coming back up to sit on the mattress. He smiled when it didn’t make noise, and patted the bed. “This is going to be comfy.”

Beatrix nodded slowly. The more she looked around the room, the more homesick and out of place she felt. It was really starting to hit that they were stuck here. She had not yet cried, and the need to was creeping up on her. She must have had a forlorn look on her face, because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kai cast her a frown. 

“Hey,” he said quietly, coming closer and wrapping his arms around her from behind. Against her will, her lip quivered and she started to tear up. “Damn it,” she said shakily. “D-Damn it…”

She’d turned around and he’d pulled her into a proper hug. Rubbing her back, he let her cry, saying nothing. He’d already done his piece in the woods, and any such sentiment was replaced with anger. Squeezing her into him, he did his best to comfort her. She buried her face in his shirt, arms tight around his shoulders, and holding him in place.

“We’re going to get out,” he promised, his voice gentle, as it could be when he was around her. “Don’t worry.”

“B-But how long after n-now?” she said, pulling away. “A-A year? Two? W-Will it be too late for Hope to remember me? By then— who knows what could happen! D-Davina is relying on me to help her bring K-Kol back…”

“Shh, don’t worry about anyone else right now,” he said, cupping her face and tilting it up for her to look at him. He let his thumbs slide over her cheeks. “This was out of our control. We had no idea Bonnie was going to do that. Our main focus is getting out. Which we will do whenever we can. I swear, I will figure something out. The Mikaelsons may not be on my good side but they’re your family, and I promise I will get you back to them. Whatever I have to do.”

She had looked up at him with such admiration in that moment. Tiptoeing, she’d kissed him, with fire and desperation, needing a way to forget the agony that she was feeling.

He needed the same thing. They’d kissed and made love that night until they were so exhausted, neither could feel any sort of emotion anymore. They’d used it all up, channeling their fear, frustration, anger, and anxiety into unsullied passion that left them feeling at least slightly better. All the hormones now coursing through their bloodstreams had to yield some sort of benefit in terms of functioning as a coping mechanism for their unfortunate predicament. 

He held her in his arms as he tried to breathe, her body laying on top of his, one hand under her head, and the other caressing his shoulder.

“I care a lot about you,” he murmured quietly. “You know that, right?”

“Of course I know that,” she said, closing her eyes. “I care a lot about you too.”

“I should’ve been nicer to you,” he continued. “I was so rude to you half the time. You were always looking out for me in the prison world. If we’d have done things your way, we could have gotten out the day Bonnie and Damon first came in. There would have been no reason for Bonnie to abandon us if I’d have just been cooperative.”

Beatrix wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, it likely would have been so much better if they’d just been nice instead of following elaborate plans that could have failed at any moment. And yet, she wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. Would she and Kai be laying like this right now if it had been done differently? They would have killed the Gemini Coven already and parted ways, perhaps. 

In the months since she’d gotten out, Beatrix’s feelings for Kai had become apparent. It was really only now that she was thinking about it. She had arrived to New Orleans bent on getting Elijah back, not thinking in any way that Kai, the man she was with for eighteen years, had any sort of connection to her outside of sex. When she and Kai had begun speaking again, she hadn’t thought anything would come of it, and yet, he became the person she most yearned to speak to every day. The sound of his voice brought her comfort.

She wouldn’t have admitted it otherwise, but she fancied him. Quite a bit.

It would be difficult not to fancy him. After all, considering how she had lived for the past three hundred years, she could easily overlook his crude nature and snide remarks. She could ignore how morbid he was and bypass his sadistic tendencies with ease. She saw the real him, with all his flaws, and took out of it the fact that he was loyal. Driven. Funny. Intelligent. And aside from all that, he was handsome, even more so now that he was letting his beard and mustache grow as wildly as his hair. She liked that look on him.

“What are you thinking?” he said softly when she didn’t respond to his statement right away.

“Just… everything. You shouldn’t blame yourself for all of it. That kind of guilt will eat you alive. We can’t change any aspect of the past, Kai. What happened has happened and that’s that. No reason to dwell on it. At least, now, we have to remember that cooperation is key. The Heretics must be around here somewhere. When we find them, we have to put our heads together and find a solution. No holding back knowledge.”

He nodded and brought a hand up to stroke her hair, sighing. “I guess so. I’ve been so wrapped up in planning how I want everything to go down. I didn’t stop to think too deeply about anything else. I should have noticed Bonnie was up to something. I was so worried about apologizing and shit… I shouldn’t have let that matter so much. I don’t even need her forgiveness. I don’t want it anymore— I want her to suffer.” 

“I thought I was over my desire to hurt her after she let me out,” said Beatrix. “But now, it really pissed me off.”

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “We’ll make her suffer. I guarantee it.”

She had rolled off of him after that, and laid on her side cupping his face gently, letting her fingers trace over his jawline. He’d looked down at her and half-smiled, feeling calmed in her presence. “How about,” he murmured, “we go travel? You can show me how the world looked in 1903. Maybe… somewhere along the way, we’ll find some kind of solution.”

This was an idea she could definitely get behind. She smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. “Yes,” she breathed. “I’d like that quite a bit.”

**_**

And so they had traveled. 

In every which way they could think, they’d gone around the entirety of the prison world. They didn’t stay in one place for too long, as they had before. They spent as little time as they could making lists of where to go next, and instead let their instincts and desires guide them. They moved through every town they found, exploring and collecting the smallest things, gathering only clothes and food as needed. 

They’d made a point to pass through every state in the country, focusing on the capitals, but allowing some deviation. Down into the Carolinas, through the Southern states and returning around the midwest, before passing back over to the West Coast and coming back around toward Rhode Island. 

It didn’t matter that they were zigzagging everywhere, traveling in shitty cars, and constantly feeling tired of all the moving around. They were feeling better than they had in awhile.

Before, they had entered the prison world as strangers. Not understanding where they were, or who they were meant to be trapped with. They’d taken time learning about each other and feeling furious at their predicament, not having known if there was a real chance that they’d ever get out. Their companionship was only for the benefit of not being alone, and not being left dissatisfied. 

This was much different. They already knew each other very well, and they knew how prison worlds worked. They had the Ascendant and other companions who they could wake at any moment. They knew what to say whenever the other felt helpless. They knew how to comfort and be comforted, and they were fulfilled just by feeling the other sitting beside them, without even a need for touch. 

The feelings crept up on them. Beatrix wasn’t sure when it was that she internalized the fact she really was starting to grow very fond of him, but there was about a week after that in which she felt very awkward even looking at him. She suddenly would grow paranoid thinking he could read her mind. It was ridiculous for her to be so concerned with what he might think, since they were far too mature to worry about such things. After all, with how often they made love, there was no way it was a secret that they both cared for each other more deeply than just friends anymore.

They’d been in Alaska, at the edge of a cliff, seated in the snow, Beatrix leaning back into Kai, whose arms were around her, draped delicately over her abdomen, when they’d decided to be honest with each other. It had been at least three months into their stay— they hadn’t really been keeping count this time. Beatrix knew it had been quite awhile, considering they had already managed to travel through all fifty states (except for Hawaii, since they needed a boat to get there), managing to stay a few nights in each state and spending other days just driving. 

It had been awkward, at first. They’d been speaking about random thoughts they had for the future, once they got out. Then, the confessions had come spilling out of the both of them, and neither had known what to say. What did people typically do after such a revelation? Normally, they got into bed with each other, but Kai and Beatrix had already done that. What came next? 

They’d returned to their cabin not sure how to go about it. It wasn’t until they were getting ready to go to bed that Kai had stopped her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he looked like he genuinely meant it. “This is really weird for me. I’ve never had feelings like this for anyone. I wasn’t even used to being nice until the Merge. But I meant what I said, Trixter. I like you. I care about you. And I want… I want to be with you, when we get out of here. I don’t just want you so you can teach me to be a Heretic. I feel… like I can be myself, even with the bad parts, when I’m with you. I want to do cheesy stuff and go on stupid dates and I don’t know— do the whole relationship thing. I never had thought about it before. But I’ve been feeling something stirring ever since you told me about your past with Elijah, all those years ago.”

He’d paused and taken her hands in his, bringing her to sit on his lap when he had fallen back onto the bed. “I thought I could brush these feelings away when we parted ways. I thought you’d go back to Elijah and I wouldn’t see you again until we got rid of the Gemini Coven. But he doesn’t appreciate you, Beatrix. He doesn’t dedicate himself to you or even make you laugh nowadays. You don’t deserve that. And… and I know that even though I am trying to be better, I’m not a perfect person. But you’ve treated me with respect even though I’m like that, and honestly, it drives me crazy how someone as good as you could be so good to me.”

She’d brought her hands up to hold his face, feeling like everything made sense now. Last time, all her focus had been on what was outside of the prison world, what would await her, and it had gone terribly. This time, she would not make that mistake. Perhaps it was a sick and twisted game of fate that had landed them in here once again, but she was not about to take it for granted. 

“I didn’t want to notice it at first,” she murmured, bringing her fingers up to run through his hair. “I was certain you would never feel the same way. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’ve grown so much since I first met you. Maybe you don’t see it, but it’s been brought out so much since you merged with Luke. You’re a good person, deep down, Kai. You just had a really terrible childhood and were mistreated in a way no one should be. I see that good in you. And… it made me fall for you. I don’t want anyone else. I want you.” She bit her lip, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “And… you can call me Itza, if you’d like.”

That sealed the deal. Kai knew how important it was for her to give someone permission to use her real name. The one thing that tied her to who she truly was— the her that many people didn’t get to know. Up to date, only Elijah and Kai had ever come to know her that deeply. Only they had cared to really, truly understand her. 

When Kai had kissed her the instant she finished speaking, it felt even better than any of the past kisses they had shared. They’d been pressed so close together it was like they were unified. Vulnerability and understanding became one, and the next morning, they’d both been giddy and feeling more elated than they had in awhile.

That was when it had clicked.

“Holy shit,” Kai had said, sitting up in the bed and holding his temples. “Oh— oh my God— it just came flooding back!”

“What are you talking about?” she’d said, holding the bed sheet to cover herself. 

“Bennett blood!” he said, yanking the other blanket up to cover himself as he ran to where their clothes were. “Holy fuck— we have to go to Canada!”

She’d perked up at this, and had gotten dressed quickly. “What’s in Canada?”

“Silas’s tombstone! Bonnie mentioned something before— she told me about the memory she showed you and told me about Silas— holy crap! The tombstone has Qetsiyah’s blood in it— and Bonnie is descended from her! That thing is full of magic, and we can use it to get out!”

That same day, they’d packed everything and gone straight to Nova Scotia. It was a thrill unlike any they had ever experienced. This was their chance— they were going to be able to get out, soon.

From there, it had been a wild thrill. Perhaps, it was because of their previous time in the prison world that time had flown by so quickly. Perhaps it was the fact that they had actually tried to enjoy themselves, and just bathe in the pleasure of being together. But regardless, it had brought them joy like nothing else.

In Nova Scotia, they had found the tombstone. They had remained there for a few days, casting and planning spells to drain the rock of every last ounce of calcified blood and magic. They had been in the cave with maps and lanterns spread out, doing locator spells and pinpointing where the perfect place to catch the aurora borealis would be. It turned out to be in Mystic Falls once more, deeper into the woods not far from where they had initially arrived, but in a clearing where the trees parted much more than before, creating a perfect circle in the sky for the colorful lights to wash over them.

They had nitpicked and criticized and triple checked everything that they could. The Ascendant was completely fixed by then, and the blood was ready in a small vial. This was it. They made their way back to Mystic Falls, with Kai driving and Beatrix trying to estimate what day it must be in the outside world. She pinpointed it to be around June 20th, 2013, which meant they were still on track for Alaric and Jo’s wedding, where the Gemini Coven would be gathered, and their task could finally be done with. 

When they’d burst back into the Salvatore house, they’d run straight to the basement. It was still day, and there was enough light for them to see the six desiccated Heretics clearly.

“Quick, we need some of your blood, Kai,” said Beatrix, reaching for one of the nearby jars, which was dusty and caked in grime. The siphon beckoned his wrist toward her, and she leaned down, biting into it, and taking a small sip for herself before holding his wrist over the jar and letting a nice stream flow in. Once she felt there was enough, she clasped onto him to stop the blood flow, and when he was no longer bleeding, she waved her hand over the jar. “ _Sanguis effingo, sanguinem duplici._ ”

The level of blood in the jar rose, and Kai handed her a pipette. “Here, use this turkey baster thing.”

She took it carefully in her hand and dipped it into the jar. “We’re not here to harm any of you,” she said aloud as the desiccated Heretics glanced up at her, now alerted of their presence. “We want to revive you, alright? We finally figured out how to escape, and all of you are coming with us.”

One by one, she went around and pumped blood into each of their mouths. Kai remained behind her and watched, transfixed, as the greyish bulged veins began to dissipate from their faces. Beatrix moved to stand in front of Kai when all six of them had gained their bearings.

“I expect everyone heard what I said?” Beatrix murmured as the Heretics stood up. 

“This was not how I imagined meeting you,” said one of the females. She was the tallest of the girls, with a thin face and long, dirty blonde hair. Her blue eyes were alert, and she looked to be unamused with the situation, yet excited. “I always thought you were a myth.”

“I had to hide, to not end up here,” said Beatrix gently. “Instead, I ended up in another prison world.”

“Shall we do the introductions after we’ve had a bath?” said the girl with dark hair, looking down at her clothes with distaste. “We smell _terrible_.”

“Of course,” said Beatrix. “Kai and I will wait for you in the drawing room.”

One of the males stepped forward, with a hungry look in his eyes. “We should feed first.”

Beatrix glared at him. “No, none of you will feed until I say so. Kai isn’t a blood bag. I won’t tolerate any of you trying to hurt him. Be mindful that I’ve got one hundred years over all of you. Don’t test me. We’re all going to function as a unit. Otherwise, I have no problem leaving people behind.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said one of the men with a smile. He, at least, looked rather lively. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”

They filed out after him. Beatrix suspected that he was not the leader, but clearly, one that they all seemed to like, for the most part. 

When they were gone, Beatrix took Kai’s arm. “Come on. Watch your back.”

“This is exciting,” he said, his characteristically sadistic grin coming back onto his face, as it had long ago when they’d first met. “We’re really going to get out and get those bitches back.”

They’d gone to the drawing room and sat down comfortably on the couches. Beatrix couldn’t imagine how bizarre her and Kai’s clothes must look to the other Heretics. She could remember back when she’d worn similar dresses as the three women.

It was around an hour later when they all came in together. Beatrix was sure they must have discussed amongst themselves already whether to hear them out or not. She hoped, at least, it wouldn’t have to turn into a conflict.

The Heretics sat down in sequence, with the hungry looking one nearest Beatrix, followed by the tallest male who had not yet spoken, and finally the lively looking man who seemed overjoyed to be awake. On the other couch, the tallest girl sat furthest from Kai, and beside her sat the other two, their hands joined on their laps. 

“Well, don’t let us stop you,” said Kai when none of the Heretics spoke first. “We already introduced ourselves.”

The girl who’d spoken first cleared her throat. “I suppose I will go first. My name is Valerie Tulle. I er— thought I was the first Heretic for quite awhile.”

“I’m Mary Louise,” said the girl who’d not yet spoken. She had a naturally pale complexion, blonde hair, and green eyes, meshing together in an uptight and almost bitchy expression, like she was daring someone to challenge her. 

“I’m Nora,” said the dark haired girl with a round face and hazel eyes. She seemed to be the most approachable of the three women, but she had a certain look about her that suggested she could be temperamental.

“Oscar,” said the lively man. He certainly seemed kind. He had a comical expression and dark hair and eyes. “This is Beau.” He gestured toward the tallest male, who was slender and muscular, with dark skin and eyes. He put a hand on his throat as if implying that he could not speak.

Finally, the man closest to Beatrix looked over with wild, blue eyes, and smirked arrogantly toward her. “Malcolm,” he said, stretching his hand out toward her.

Beatrix shook it quickly. “Well, that was a nice series of introductions. Who wants to be the first to get into depth?”


	29. Chapter 29

**Beatrix was the first to get into depth.**

If there was anything that the Heretics seemed to agree on, it was hearing more about her. Kai had seemed rather pleased with himself when she had started on a more brief version of her story, as he already knew all of it. The smug look only came off when the others began to speak. 

Obviously, they all hated the Gemini Coven.

Each had their share of different experiences, but the one common factor was that they had been shunned by their coven and had eventually come together under the guidance of Lily Salvatore— Damon’s mother. Now, they were a family, and they’d stuck together up until now, having been rounded up on October 31st, 1903, all in one piece. They were all mostly unscathed, except for Beau, who had unfortunately been hurt by the infamous Rayna Cruz. Beatrix was glad she’d never had to face that woman. 

“So,” said Malcolm, leaning closer to Beatrix. “You’ve figured out how we can get out, eh?”

“Yes,” said Kai, making a point of clasping Beatrix’s hand. “We have Bennett blood, the Ascendant, and the perfect spot to take off. I say, we use the rest of this day to go over the plan, hmm? Tomorrow, we will get out.”

Nora raised her eyebrows. “That soon? My, my, I think I am happy now that you waited to wake us up.”

“I apologize for that,” said Beatrix. “I know being desiccated is terrible. I just hoped that time might pass faster for you like that.”

“We didn’t have a blood supply anymore, either way,” said Mary Louise. “We would have just desiccated again.”

Malcolm tapped his hand eagerly on the arm of the couch. “Speaking of blood, can we… feed now?”

“Malcolm, be sensible,” said Valerie. “They’ve worked so hard to help get us out. The least you can do is show some self-control.”

“I’m merely inquiring, to see if the lady had plans to help us out in that area,” said Malcolm, casting Beatrix a smile as if trying to suck up.”

“Bloody brownnoser,” sneered Nora under her breath. “Don’t pay him attention. He was Lily’s pet, and he thinks he can get you to pity him.” 

“I don’t mind being fed on,” said Kai, holding his hands up in surrender. “But it’d do you good to remember the plan we just explained. I need to be alive when we get out so we can kill all the coven members in one go.”

“Look at that, we’re getting to meet the oldest and youngest Heretic on the same day,” said Oscar, grinning. “That’s a good sign.”

Kai grinned. “Hell, yeah. Now, I want to deliver you all to Lily in one piece, so we’re going to go with my plan to keep you all out of the conflict. By the time she gets you, the Gemini Coven will be no more, and you’ll be safe.”

“You’re certain?” said Valerie. “They won’t be around anymore?”

“We’ve gone through the plan at least a dozen times already,” said Kai proudly. “Don’t worry. It’ll go off without a hitch. As long as you all cooperate, I promise everything will go smoothly. Beatrix and I will take care of it.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” said Malcolm sarcastically. “Surely a human will do a splendid job of all of this.”

Beatrix let out a growl. “I wonder, if you’re keen on being left behind, hmm? We’re trying to help you. Otherwise, I can put you all back to sleep and Kai and I will be on out merry way with the last of the Bennett blood. Then, you can rot in here for all eternity.”

The Heretics were silent. Nora cast Malcolm a stern look, and he leaned back in his seat, glancing at Beau and Oscar for support, but both seemed to be on board with Kai and Beatrix’s plan, and were in no mood to argue.

“Perfect,” said Kai, smirking devilishly around the room. “Now, I think you’ve all earned some blood. Let Beatrix and I get to that. Wait here.” He pulled her up and led her to the kitchen, whistling lowly as he started to search for glasses.

“Well, Malcolm’s a prick,” muttered Beatrix.

“He can probably hear you, you know?” said Kai, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, I know he can. I want him to hear me.” She shook her head as Kai brought out seven glasses. “You’re sure you want to let them feed? You don’t have to. They can live off of what we gave them until tomorrow, when they’re back in the real world.”

“Sure, why not? The more they cooperate, the better. You should start thinking about what we should wear to the wedding. We can do the whole matching my tie to your dress thing, if you want.”

“Well, I didn’t expect to be here for so long, so I didn’t bring a dress,” she sighed. “I’ll have to find something when we get out tomorrow. We’d better hope the wedding hasn’t happened yet. We never knew the exact date.”

“Last I heard, it was the twenty something of this month. Let’s hope your approximation of what day it is isn’t too far off.” He picked up a knife and slit into his wrist, his eyes closing as he started to let it drip into the first glass. “Can we do the whole Jesus Christ fish and bread thing? I’d rather not drink your blood just yet.”

Beatrix chuckled lightly and when the glass was about half full, she helped to wrap his wrist, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek. “Sure.” She poured a little bit of the blood into each of the glasses, then hovered her hands over them. “ _Sanguis effingo, sanguinem duplici._ ”

The blood began to rise, leaving each of the cups rather nicely filled. Kai smirked and patted his hand over her backside as she flicked her hand and made the glasses hover behind her, careful not to spill.

They found the Heretics right where they’d left them. She flicked her wrist again, and each glass went to one of the Heretics, who all seemed rather pleased with how much blood they were getting.

“You did a multiplying spell twice already, with such ease,” mused Nora as she raised the glass to her lips. “Rather impressive.”

“I studied magic from all over the world. I know how to simplify virtually every spell,” she said, taking her own glass and drinking from it as she sat back down.

“This blood is incredible,” sighed Malcolm as he drank. “No wonder you keep him around. I couldn’t imagine why a beauty like yourself would keep a meager human as company.”

Beatrix gave a wry grin. “You’re really wanting me to leave you behind, aren’t you?” she said with false sweetness. “An anchor would always be the safest route to take.”

“Seriously, Malcolm, shut up,” said Mary Louise irritably. “She’s practically our legendary Heretic originator and you’re trying to snuff your way into her good graces like that? She’s not Lily. She’s not going to baby us.”

He shut up after that, and simply finished his glass.

“How do you know Lily, then?” asked Valerie softly. 

“Oh, we don’t,” said Kai. “We were trapped in another prison world and we met her son when he came along. I assume she’ll be somewhere around, and can give us the information we need. Here’s to hoping she’s heard a good few things to be of use.”

“Otherwise, what?” said Oscar. “You let us free?”

“Sure,” said Beatrix with a shrug. “If Lily doesn’t cooperate, we’ll set you off on your merry way. You can choose to go back to her or not.”

The general environment seemed to be relief. Beatrix and Kai shared a suspecting look. They probably all wanted to be free after having been stuck with Lily for so long. From what they’d described in their tales, she was like an overlord that tried to control them as if they were her actual children. Oscar seemed the most intrigued at the idea of freedom, and Malcolm the least. Beau and the three women seemed somewhere in between, though leaning toward going off on their own.

“Well, we should retire to our rooms now, shouldn’t we?” said Nora, standing up with her finished glass, and smoothing down her dress. “I expect we need to make our own preparations for tomorrow. I assume we will all have dinner sometime later?”

“Er, sure,” said Beatrix. “We’ll go find food to cook, if you’d like.”

Mary Louise smirked at this. “Perfect.” She looped her arm with Nora and led her away. Beau went to escort Valerie, nodding his head respectfully, and Oscar bounded away on his own, still looking pleased.

Only Malcolm lingered behind, swirling the last of the blood in his glass pensively. “You’re both rather peppy, aren’t you?” he said almost boredly. 

“And you’re insufferable, from the looks of it,” said Beatrix, glaring down at him. 

He gave her a cheeky smile. “You better not be trying to pull any tricks on us. This lot may be annoying, but they are my family, and I will not stand for anyone hurting them. I’m the strongest one, and I will fight for their honor.”

Beatrix wanted to laugh. The arrogance radiating off of him was almost absurd. He surely thought highly of himself. In her mind, Nora and Beau seemed to radiate the most power, just from these first few hours of getting to know each other.

Kai stood, and stepped in front of Malcolm, looking entirely unamused. “I assure you, dude, we’re not playing tricks,” he said quite seriously before leaning down and smirking malevolently. “And I can also assure you that you have no chance with Beatrix.”

Malcolm glared up. “Don’t be so cocky, boy, you’re human and I can assure you, she can do much better than you. Someone like me would be far more satisfactory.”

Kai’s lips only curled up further. “You heard her story pal. She’s picking me over _three_ Original vampire brothers.” He leaned even closer, his eyes flashing with malice. “Because, at the end of the day, it’s my _incredible_ blood keeping her taste buds happy whenever she bites into my shoulder at night, trying to muffle her screams of pleasure. Get the memo?”

Malcolm’s nostrils flared with indignation, and he gritted his teeth before speeding out of the room. Kai turned to see a very flustered looking Beatrix leaning back against the couch.

“What?” he said, coming closer and putting his hands on her hips. “Is jealous me a surprise to you?”

She shook her head, her cheeks still pink. “No. It’s just _incredibly_ hot.”

He smirked and looped his hands around her, sliding them down her back and gripping her ass in his hands, bringing her closer. “Oh, yeah? Good.”

He brought his lips to hers, and she placed her palms flat on his chest at first, leaning into it, before gripping at the fabric of his shirt. He pulled away just to kiss her neck, making her moan quietly as she tilted her head back.

“I can’t wait until I have fangs of my own,” he purred against her skin. “It’s the most intimate thing that two vampires can do with each other, isn’t it?”

She nodded slowly as he kissed over her clavicle. “Y-Yeah, it is,” she breathed. “It’d help strengthen us too, I think…”

“Have any of the Originals ever had some of your blood?” he murmured, letting his tongue trace back up over her carotid.

“N-Not that I recall,” she breathed as he brought his hand around her throat and tilted her to look at him. He smirked, and brought his other hand up to brush her hair behind her ear, bringing his knuckles down across her jaw.

“Then, I intend to be your first,” he whispered, going toward her ear. “And your last.”

He kissed her once again, and she melted back into it.

**_**

Later that evening, once the aurora borealis was in the sky, they had their dinner. Kai and Beatrix had gone out and gathered enough ingredients for supper tonight, and breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

They’d had a rather quiet meal, with the Heretics being very proper and silent, working with their utensils as if they were residing in a castle. They’d played some music in the background on a phonograph, and when it got much later, the Heretics all bade them goodnight, and Kai and Beatrix were left to clean up the plates.

“Today was fun,” said Kai happily. “Tomorrow, I’ll make us a nice yummy breakfast, and maybe you can whip up something for lunch. Then, we’ll be on our merry way.”

He offered her his hand, the music still playing in the background. “Dance with me?”

She had accepted, of course. Draping her hands around his neck, they’d begun to sway. No words needed to be exchanged. It felt nice just to know that they were being held. That they were not alone in this. They were getting out, and everything was going to be okay. 

When the needle had cut out, they’d gotten to work, both smiling like idiots. They’d sat at the table with any writing utensils they could find, and had begun to figure out what else they intended to do.

“So, we established we definitely want to do the video message, right?” said Kai. “But like, what do we say? Just hey, we’re back, blah blah blah? Nah… we need to do something interesting.”

“Mmm, foreshadowing?” suggested Beatrix. “We can start planning what we’re going to do at the wedding and leave it so they don’t find the camcorder until after, so they have to relive it all over again. By then, we’ll be back in New Orleans.”

“Back in New Orleans with your comfy bed,” sighed Kai. He then paused to think. “Ooh— I have an idea. We leave a bomb or something for Bonnie. Big Kaboom!”

Beatrix scrunched up her nose. “Something more agonizing. Something that’ll damage her psychologically. Make her want to be dead, or make someone else want to kill her. I want her to suffer.”

Kai’s face was soon bearing a wicked grin. “Oh…. oh, I have the perfect idea…” He tucked his hands under his chin and closed his eyes, as if picturing him. “Link her life to Elena’s.”

Beatrix’s eyebrows shot up. “Dang. That’s…. not a bad idea.”

“Think of it. Bonnie and Elena are super close, right? We have the power to put her into a really deep sleep if we want to, and make it so Elena can’t wake up until Bonnie dies. We can link me to it so it’s locked in when I die. Damon will torment Bonnie. She’ll feel guilt. Literally their whole friend group will prefer Elena to be alive. This— this is perfect.”

And so, they spent the next several hours planning the spell out. Heads together and bent over the parchment, they scribbled and drafted the perfect spell. They would just need to do it at the wedding, with the Bennett blood they already had, and a small strand of Elena’s hair.

When they were finally up in their room that night, excited and still unable to sleep, they lay in their bed, Kai spooning Beatrix and letting his hands caress over her stomach affectionately. 

“Do you really see us being together?” whispered Beatrix as he rested his head onto hers. “I want us to be. We just… haven’t yet established anything.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, closing his eyes. “I see… all these things that I never would have thought of before. I can picture us doing things I hadn’t imagined before, in depth. I can’t help but feel cheesy whenever it crosses my mind, but seriously, can you imagine us having kids? I don’t particularly like kids that much, or at least, I didn’t before. But seeing you with Hope even for that brief moment… or hearing about how you raised Marcel… I don’t know, it sounds stupid because we can’t procreate, but I could like, almost visualize us having kids. I’m sorry, that was probably weird…”

She shook her head. “I’ve thought of it too. It’s… it’s interesting how finding someone that you mesh with well will make you picture yourself in situations you hadn’t dreamed of before. This is just another of many reasons why I insist that you have good inside of you. I think… all of us have some mesh of evil and good. A lot of people never tune into the evil. Others never tune into the good. I can’t say I’m proud of myself for tuning into my darker side so often. But I can say that it’s so much more exhilarating to see myself in a positive light. You have so much worth. I hope that you know that. No one gets to define the goodness in you other than yourself. Yours is the only opinion that matters. And I, for one, am so proud of how far you’ve come. How good you can be….”

He’d fallen asleep soon after, his arms still around her. But Beatrix’s mind was wandering, some paranoia seeping in unscheduled. Typically, she could ward off such negative thoughts and sleep soundly. This wasn’t the case that night. 

_What was the purpose of you telling him that he’s got good inside of you, when you’re both preparing to go on a murder rampage?_

She tried to shake the thoughts out, turning around to face him and burying her head in his chest, trying to focus on his heartbeat and the way he hugged her tighter in his sleep.

_Why poison his mind with optimism and pathetic talk of having children if you’re both setting your sights on killing a pregnant woman?_

She squeezed her eyes tightly. Her conscience was just being overactive. It didn’t mean anything. There was no reason to get insecure…

_You seek to hide from the darker version of you but I’m right here, you cannot escape me. Don’t go on with a pathetic charade of good. Let it consume you._

She shook her head, hearing the words echoing. Now she was wondering. Why be good? There was no point to it. Being bloodthirsty wasn’t necessarily a bad thing… 

_He is a sociopath. He will never truly care about you unless you tune into the darker side of you that will be just as hungry for murder as he is. Only then will he truly love you..._

Beatrix wasn’t sure how long it took for her to go to sleep, but it was definitely far too long for her liking.

She didn’t understand that the voice she’d heard wasn’t actually her conscience. She wasn’t realizing that Elijah had been right. Her time in the prison world had taken more of a toll on her than she had realized, and even though she had not wallowed in sadness this time, it had still been creeping up on her, living in the suppressed feelings that she had not brought to light. It never truly left her, always seeking to make her once more a victim. Wanting to corrupt her and consume her until all that was left was an evil creature that would reign destruction on the world. 

After all, if the supernatural was real, there was no reason at all why Chamer couldn’t reach from his ancient Mayan realm and attempt to destroy her. Chamer wanted chaos and death— excitement after not being able to gain Ixazaluoh’s soul until she was too drained of magic to yield any sort of benefit to the realm of Xibalba. 

But of course, Beatrix had no idea that it was even possible. Who would have thought that the darkness tied her to her Mayan roots more deeply than she realized.

Thus, she remained clueless. 

Kai was whistling when she went down for breakfast, still rubbing her eyes. “You slept in more than usual,” he said as Beatrix started to set the table. 

“Mm, yeah, trouble sleeping,” she said. “But no matter— we’re getting out today. All is well.”

“Certainly,” he said, pecking her cheek as he passed her, and holding up an old looking bell. “Look— I found this bell! It’s pretty cool. The others are outside, let me go call them in.”

She nodded slowly, sitting down in her seat as she heard him start ringing the bell and calling the other Heretics in. She draped one hand tenderly over her stomach, wincing. 

“Come and get it!” she could hear Kai saying. “Big breakfast for a big day! It’s time we get the hell out of this place!”

The feeling was back. The same unsettling twist in her stomach that made her feel afraid. Even hours later, when they were all gathered in the clearing, she could still feel it like a thumping heart in her core, hanging a threat that told her not to resist. 

_"Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea. Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea."_

She was speaking the words but not focusing on them. She had kept a subtle hold on her stomach, fearing almost like she might snap suddenly. She tried to think of anything that might clue her in on how to suppress the feeling. In some people, their dark side came out in mental dream battles that they could win with their wits to ward off any sort of possession. In others, spells were needed to ease the mind. And then, in rare cases such as hers, the darkness practically took the shape of another being— someone who had been alive long ago, which made it all that much more difficult to beat. 

Darkness came in different forms, and if there was once thing that those forms had in common, it was that they weren’t patient.


	30. Chapter 30

**They landed in the middle of the forest.**

No more snow. There was light from a campfire nearby, and the sound of several young voices talking. 

“Well,” said Kai happily, “looks like there’s a meal waiting for all of you, courtesy of the modern world. Follow me.”

The group walked closer to the light source, and found a group of seven teenagers laughing and drinking booze, not bothering to conceal it in any way. Clearly, they had no fears of being caught.

Even better for the Heretics.

“Good evening,” said Kai dramatically as they came upon the teenagers. They glanced up toward the Heretics, who had on their 1903 attire, which likely looked quite strange. Kai then extended his arms toward the group. “Bon appetit, or whatever.”

The teenagers didn’t stand a chance. Malcolm had been the first to launch forward, seizing the two nearest males by their shirts and baring his fangs, digging them into each of their necks, killing them almost instantly as he tore through their throats. Mary Louise had followed, snatching up one of the girls and devouring into her neck without hesitation, holding the trembling body until it ceased moving, and even then, continuing to drink all the blood she could muster up. Nora had launched herself toward one of the boys who’d tried to run away, and she’d snapped his neck quickly, laying him down before beginning to drink.

Valerie and Beau had each taken the girls nearest them, being much more gentle in their feeding, but each draining them until there was nothing left to give, leaving their bodies all pale and weak in death. Oscar had been the only one who had waited until Malcolm was done to take into his leftovers, feeding so little that it wouldn’t have seemed like he was drinking at all, were it not for the smallest of slurping noises.

Beatrix had indulged, too. Typically, she didn’t like the idea of indulging, but all the blood was making her too hungry. She had looked at the last boy, who was scrambling to likely dial 911 on his phone. She sped toward him and snatched the phone up, snapping it in half before grabbing his face and looking into his eyes. “Stay calm,” she purred. “I don’t seek to kill you.” She’d let the veins rise under her eyes, and the instant her fangs protruded, she sank them into the boy’s neck, moaning quietly as she began to drink, holding him steady as he trembled beneath her.

“Well, yours is the only one who’s still alive,” said Kai behind her after a few minutes, when she was still steadily drinking. It struck him as slightly odd that Beatrix was still feeding— usually she took her drinks fast and lasted at least two days before asking for blood again. She typically exercised a great deal of self control. “Woah— woah— Trixter, I think he’s actually dying now…”

Not that Kai had anything against all the carnage. But he’d never seen Beatrix kill someone, and it was more surprising because she was being so gentle about it, feeling the boy’s life slipping away without being overly violent. It was, perhaps, more unnerving that she was slowly and steadily killing him, rather than acting like a Ripper and tearing through quickly. 

He watched as the boy’s eyes rolled back, and Beatrix finally dropped the body, panting heavily as she wiped her mouth. “Sorry,” she said quietly, realizing how much she’d let herself go. The voice in her head was really nagging… it was telling her how proud it was that she succumbed to her impulses…

“Don’t apologize,” said Kai indifferently. “Nothing like a good drink before we crash a wedding. Besides, I’ll be doing that too, within twenty-four hours. Speaking of that—” He glanced around as the other Heretics began to clean their clothes off, removing any blood stains. “Time to get you all to your waiting place for Lily. Ready?”

None of them objected. They stole the car that the teenagers had had— a minivan likely borrowed from one of their parents to fit them all in. Kai drove, and Beatrix rode shotgun, with the Heretics comfortably in the seats, marveling at the car and speaking amongst themselves about it.

The entire ride just brought feelings of guilt and remorse for Beatrix. She was thinking about how out of it she’d been. All of those teenagers likely had parents who may not have even known that they were out camping with friends. Or perhaps, they did know, and were waiting up for them to come back.

They’d never make it home. 

She felt herself wanting to cry. She could feel a change in herself and she didn’t like it. She wanted to suppress it, but it was like another being was fighting against her. She couldn’t control it. It was as though she slipped in and out of dissociative states, losing track of what she was doing in the moment and only remembering it in the aftermath.

“Here we are,” said Kai happily when they reached a lot with several containers— the kind carried on trailers and brought in by massive ships. He put the car in park in an empty space of the lot, and beckoned for everyone to follow him out. 

They headed to the only building amidst the containers, a beige-vanilla structure that was like a container in terms of texture, but longer, and without bars and logos on it. There was a door to get in, and Kai opened it, seeing it was empty. 

“Perfect, this will do.” He stood outside and held the door open. “You’re all nice and fed. I’ll make sure to give Lily the address. As soon as we get to her, we’ll let her know how to find you. Just wait patiently.”

“Thank you for bringing us with you,” said Valerie cordially as Nora pulled Mary Louise inside. “Really, Beau and I sincerely appreciate it.”

Beau nodded in agreement, casting Kai and Beatrix a smile as they went in, followed by Oscar, who was now fiddling with a Rubix cube that he must have found in the backseat of the minivan. Malcolm cast them a grudging look and a stiff nod, being the last to enter before Kai closed the door. He put his palm over the door, humming lowly before closing his eyes. “ _Celo abscondo praetexo, dissimulo domus aedificium letus mortem, medeis codex_.”

The building promptly disappeared, and Kai turned on his heel to take Beatrix’s hand. “Time to go find mama Salvatore. Should we risk just going to the Salvatore house or should we do a locator spell first, to be safe?”

“Let’s be safe,” said Beatrix as they walked back to the car. “Who knows what her and Damon’s relationship is like. I don’t doubt he probably kicked her out if she posed a threat to his lovely Elena.”

Kai smirked. “Oh, well, Lily won’t be the one Elena needs to be wary of. Which… is funny because Elena won’t see it coming when we put her to sleep.”

He moved his arm to be around Beatrix as he opened the door for her and beckoned her in. He trotted to the driver’s side and started the car, beginning to drive away from the warehouse district and into Mystic Falls. “You doing okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” said Beatrix out of habit, casting him a small smile. “Tired, is all. I can start the spell now, if you’d like.”

“Sure,” he said, taking his hands off the wheel to bring out one of the old 1903 maps. He handed it to Beatrix, who extracted a bottle of perfume that they’d found to be Lily’s, and used it to start the spell, keeping the map and bottle on her lap.

“She’s at the Salvatore House,” said the Heretic after a short while. “That’s good.”

Kai grinned. “Perfect. Let’s go meet Damon’s mommy formally.”

It quite late by the time they made it to the Salvatore Boarding House. They parked the minivan down the street, cloaking it to not draw suspicion. Beatrix went into the car’s settings, thankful for modern technology that could save details regarding the time and the date. “Assuming this is correct, it’s now eleven o’clock at night, on June 22nd, 2013.”

“Hmm, let’s try and get into the house, maybe someone wrote the wedding date on their calendar,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt.

Cloaked once more, to make no noise and remain invisible, the two crept closer to the house, and carefully opened the front door, stepping in and seeing that it was mostly deserted. Beatrix paused in the front hall to listen in— they were mostly certainly home. She could hear two heartbeats upstairs, possibly Damon and his brother. There was another weaker heartbeat downstairs. All three were the barely discernible beats of vampire hearts— the kind of beats that humans couldn’t feel or hear. 

“She’s probably the one downstairs in the basement,” said Beatrix as they went into the kitchen, looking for any sort of calendar. They found a stack of post-its instead, next to an invitation for the wedding.

Kai held it up triumphantly. “This is even better. Join us for Alaric Saltzman and Josette Laughlin’s wedding… blah… blah… blah— ooh! June 23rd, 2013. It’s in the afternoon— perfect. We got here just on time.” He went over to where someone had left their phone out. “Even better! It is June 22nd. We’re good. Tomorrow, all action.” He offered her his hand. “Shall we go to our room?”

She smiled. “Yes, we shall. It’s funny how we call it our room when really, it’s not, because we don’t own the house. But it’s nice to pretend.”

They hadn’t slept much that night. Albeit tired, they’d not hesitated to crawl into each other’s arms and celebrate being back in the real world. There was a moment that Beatrix found herself wondering how it’d be once Kai was a Heretic. For a human, his stamina was impressive, and she couldn’t imagine what it might be like once he had strength and emotion like never before.

They’d woken up early in the morning, listening to the sounds of many voices downstairs. Beatrix had pressed her ear to the ground. Damon and Stefan were not home. But there were four women talking at one point, and she beckoned for Kai to follow her out the door quickly, creeping down to the wine cellar, where they found Lily in her cell, crouched down. 

“Lily,” said Beatrix quietly as she let down her and Kai’s concealment spell. The vampire looked up in shock as they opened the door and stepped in with her quickly, going against the far corner so anyone who passed by wouldn’t see them. 

“I remember you,” she said, a crazed look on her face. “You both got left behind.”

“Yeah, that fucking sucked,” said Kai, leaning back against the wall. “But, we got out. And guess what? We brought your Heretics with us.”

Lily straightened up, eyes wide. “What? You— you brought my family back?”

“Yes,” said Beatrix, watching Lily’s eyes light up, her face almost flushed with color. “They’re at 1702 route 12. Keep that memorized. We’ll help you get out and see them. But… we require some information first.”

“Anything,” said Lily immediately, coming closer to them, and ceasing to speak for a few moments as she ran her tongue rapidly over her chapped lips. “I just want my family back. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, to have my family back, with me, where they belong.”

Beatrix did not answer. She brought her finger to her lips, taking Kai’s hand to cloak them again as she heard nearing footsteps.

“What?” she heard Bonnie’s familiar voice call. She sensed her nearing the door to the cellar, and looking into the bars. While Lily was not concealed, Bonnie couldn’t see her due to the angle where she was. 

Lily sneered at the sound of her voice, and sped to the door, seizing Bonnie’s throat the instant she turned around. Both Kai and Beatrix watched gleefully as Bonnie slammed herself back into the door and shoved Lily back before sprinting upstairs. 

“Close call,” said Lily, venom laced in her tone. “She destroyed the Ascendant when I wanted to get back into the prison world to get all of you out. I want her to suffer.”

Kai smirked as he and Beatrix made themselves visible again. “Well, we want her to suffer too. We need any information you can give us about this… impending wedding.”

Lily thought for a moment. “I heard them speaking just before you came in— Stefan and Damon won’t be back until much later— Damon is wanting to become a human with Elena. She took the cure.”

Beatrix found herself grinning maliciously. “Oh, is that so? That’ll make our plan so much more interesting…”

“Yes. The bride is upstairs getting ready— Elena and Bonnie were helping her, and the blonde called Caroline was here earlier as well, but she left to set the venue up because the wedding planner called in sick. The bride is very… anxious, it seems. I overheard her discussing that she was feeling a tad unwell, because of the twins.”

Kai went rigid. “Excuse me?”

Lily glanced at him in a motherly way. “Oh, yes. I found out not too long ago that she was having twins. I was the one who told her.”

There was a look of pure glee in Kai’s eyes, followed with a wicked sort of smile. “So… Jo’s having twins,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “How perfect. Well, I’ll have to make sure we kill those little brats before we get underway with killing the Gemini Coven. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“You’ve been quite helpful with this information, Lily,” said Beatrix with a smile. “Kai, let’s go on upstairs. I have an idea that might help us clear the house out…”

They left Lily in her cell for the time being, and still cloaked, moved up to find Elena helping Bonnie to cover up the bruises on her neck with makeup. Bonnie looked distressed, which clearly left both Kai and Beatrix looking pleased.

“What happens when the crazy stage is over?” Bonnie was murmuring, presumably regarding Lily.

“Well, Stefan said that he has a plan,” said Elena. “You know, to get her back on track.”

“Does that plan involve letting her out?” said Bonnie worriedly. “Because if he thnks she’s giing up on her family….”

Elena frowned. “She has to. Bonnie, you already destroyed the Ascendant.”

“What if there’s a loophole?” Bonnie murmured, which made Kai stifle a laugh. Thankfully, the silencing spell was still around them. “Oh, if only she knew…” he murmured as the bride-to-be stepped into the room. 

“I’m dreading it, but I guess I should think about putting the dress on,” said Jo, wringing her hands together. However, she saw the worried looks on Bonnie and Elena’s faces, and her face went pale. “Something’s wrong. It’s not the dress, is it? Please tell me it’s not the dress.”

Elena shook her head quickly. “We were just discussing the fact that there's a desiccating vampire locked in a cell less than fifty feet from where we're getting ready.”

Jo raised an eyebrow. “Did she do something to the dress?”

“The dress is fine,” said Bonnie, standing up. “I’m just being paranoid.”

The door opened behind them, and a blond boy came in. “Okay, truck’s here, who’s coming?” When none of the women answered immediately, he elaborated. “Caroline suggested in a semi-threatening way that I pick up the centerpieces, which sounds like a Donovan screw-up waiting to happen.”

“I’ll come,” said Bonnie eagerly as the boy shot her a thumbs-up. They both left the room, and Jo sighed. “I need to use the restroom. Again.” She left the room, looking quite anxious.

“Aw, poor Josette,” said Kai rather mockingly. “Guess carrying twins sucks.”

“You would not believe how many of the mothers I treated before would say how they really wished that they weren’t having twins,” Beatrix snorted, the two observing Elena downing a full glass of champagne. 

“We need to get them out of the house, right?” murmured Kai as he leaned on Beatrix. “I think maybe, you should try something that might make Jo need to go to the hospital, or something. Don’t kill the twins just yet. Any ideas?”

“Er— I can send her into a panic attack. She might pass out, considering how stressed she already looks.”

“Perfect,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “Do that when she comes back.”

The two then went silent as Elena’s phone began to ring. “I’m on my third glass, so speak slowly,” she said to the person on the other line.

“You know how you and I were both worried that he didn't think this through?” said an unfamiliar voice— maybe Stefan. “He thought it through.” 

Elena let out a laugh. “It’s Damon. He didn’t.”

“He’s ready to do this, Elena. He's got your perfect little life all planned out.”

“I want the perfect human life with him, too, Stefan! Trust me. But life isn't perfect. Okay, look— you have a few more hours, so push him. Make him see that.” 

Stefan hung up, and Elena sighed, starting to fill herself another cup.

“Hey, remember when you were pacing yourself?” said Jo as she came back into the room.

“Heh, I do,” Elena responded. “Right before I told my ex-boyfriend how to get my current boyfriend to give up hope for our relationship. What if I made a huge mistake by taking the cure?”

Jo plucked the glass out of Elena’s hands before she could drink it. “The only mistake you made was that last glass of champagne. I'm gonna go make some coffee before you spiral through the earth to China.”

“Yeah, okay,” chuckled Elena. Beatrix took this as her opportunity. When Jo started to walk away, she waved her hands, murmuring a spell quietly and flicking her wrist in a circular motion before pointing at Jo.

She stumbled, and leaned onto the piano beside her, letting the glass of champagne fall to the floor and shatter.

“Jo, are you okay?” said Elena immediately, turning to face her. 

“ _Nescius_ ,” whispered Beatrix.

Jo crumpled down, hitting her head onto the piano as she fell, completely unconscious. “Hey— Jo! Jo— Jo— Jo!” cried Elena, sprinting over to check on her. She looked conflicted, like she wasn’t sure what to do. But after a few seconds, she dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed 911. “Hello? I need an ambulance— Salvatore Boarding House. I have a woman pregnant with twins who just collapsed, and she’s unresponsive.”

“Paramedics are on their way,” said the male dispatcher’s voice. “Stay on the line with me, alright? Is she breathing?”

“Boring!” said Kai as Elena started to respond. “Nice touch, Beatrix, that was fun to watch.”

But she wasn’t really listening to him. More guilt had washed over her. This was absurd. She, a previous OB/Gyn, had just made a pregnant woman pass out for no good reason. It was cruel, and it was so unlike her that it made her sway a bit.

“Let’s go find what to wear for the wedding,” said Kai, not noticing anything as he pulled her toward the stairs. “I’ll raid Damon’s closet, see what I find. Maybe that Elena chick left a dress or something behind, you know? You could probably fit into one of her dresses.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Beatrix blankly as she followed him upstairs. 

She found a dress in one of the closets. It would need adjustment, but it was fancy enough for a wedding, a gorgeous forest green that fell to her ankles and rose in a halter to fashion, which she liked. 

It wasn’t long after that they heard the ambulance arrive, and within minutes, the house was completely silent.

Kai started to whistle from the other room, and came in as Beatrix finished getting dressed. He hadn’t chosen to wear a tie, but he looked perfectly fine with a dress shirt and suit. “Voila, I look amazing, and so do you,” he said, making a motion as if he was taking a picture of her. “Once you get yourself some shoes, meet me downstairs. I’m going to let Lily out.”

“Sure,” she replied with a small smile.

But her hands were shaking as she spoke. When he left, she had to stumble back a bit to sit down on the nearest surface, holding her head in her hands. She glanced up at the mirror across the room, and almost didn’t recognize herself, even though her face was unchanged. 

“I’m fine,” she murmured to herself. “Perfectly fine. Just need… sleep… or something. I’m being paranoid and dramatic…”

She stood and walked toward the vanity, and looked at herself properly, waving her hand to adorn her face with makeup and do her hair. A simple illusion spell so that she wouldn’t look trashy. She found shoes in the closet and went down the stairs, trying to focus on her breathing. 

By then, Kai was on the sofa, holding a camcorder. “Lily left rather quickly. Guess she really is eager to see those Heretics. Look what I found?” he held the device up and wiggled it in the air. “Care to leave a message for Bonnie?”

And just like that, the sadistic smile was back on Beatrix’s face. “Hell yeah.”


	31. Chapter 31

**They hadn’t been able to film before the others came back.**

“Damn,” said Kai, setting the camcorder down quickly as they heard the truck pull up outside. “Time to get cloaked.”

They put the spell back up just as Bonnie and the blond boy entered the house, holding crossbows and what appeared to be guns, though considering how they appeared to be vampire weapons, Beatrix guessed that the bullets were likely vervain-darts.

“She’s gonna kill us,” said Bonnie as she beckoned for the boy to follow her down to the cellar. 

“I thought the whole point of this is that we were in control of her,” said the boy, furrowing his eyebrows. Kai and Beatrix shared a look and started to walk behind them.

“Not Lily, _Caroline_ ,” said Bonnie. “The wedding starts in an hour!”

The boy just shrugged. “All we have to do is knock her ass out and drag her to the boiler room. Thirty minutes, tops.”

They made it to the basement, and found that the cell door was open, since, of course, Kai had let Lily out not long ago. “Um… Bonnie?” said the boy worriedly.

Bonnie walked into the cell and looked around. “Enzo must have let her out,” she said angrily, pulling other phone. “I have to warn everyone.”

“Not on our watch,” muttered Kai, lunging forward, still invisible, and wrapping his palm hard around the boy’s throat, making him croak and gasp.

Bonnie whirled around. “Matt? Matt, what’s wrong?”

Matt let out a hoarse gasp as Kai kept squeezing his throat. “I can’t breathe,” he wheezed, his face turning red. “It’s like someone is crushing my throat.”

“Ooh, what a pity,” said Kai in a snarky tone as Matt sank down. The siphon followed him down, still holding him firmly as the blond desperately clawed at his hand.

“Okay, just hang on,” said Bonnie quickly. “I’ll—”

Beatrix dove forward and grasped her throat before she could think to cast a spell. Bonnie croaked as her eyes bulged. Behind them, Matt had already passed out, and Kai let him go, letting up the spell for Bonnie to see him and Beatrix. It made her eyes widen even more, and she raised her hand weakly before going limp in Beatrix’s hold.

“Haven’t choked someone like that in awhile,” Beatrix mused. “Felt kinda nice.” She glared down at where Bonnie’s throat was still pulsating, trying to bring oxygen to her brain. “You know what… I’m going to grab a little snack.”

She sank down beside the unconscious Bennett witch and brought out her fangs, sinking them into Bonnie’s throat and beginning to drink, groaning in satisfaction.

“Just don’t drain her,” Kai reminded her as he leaned against the wall looking pleased. “We need her alive to link her to Elena.”

Beatrix made sure not to kill her, as much as she wanted to, in that moment. After a small moment, she let go, licking her lips clean. Kai moved down with the vial of Bennett blood from the prison world and put it next to where blood was seeping out of Bonnie’s neck, gathering some more blood before capping the vial.

“Shall we go upstairs and film our snippet?” he said, smirking as he offered Beatrix his arm.

“Certainly,” she said. “And once we’re done, I’ll feed you my blood.”

They made it back to the living room and found the camcorder where they’d left it. Beatrix reached for the stack of post-its on the table and found a pen, scribbling ‘Watch Me!’ and adding a smiley face before pasting it on top of the device, making Kai grin.

He took his time propping the camera up on a stack of books even though he’d already pressed the button to start recording. “Ta-da!” he said once he found the perfect angle. He stepped back, pulling Beatrix to his side so that they both appeared on the small screen. “Wow, look at us, so fancy.”

He then leaned down toward the blinking light. “All this time travel’s been hard on the camera, Bon,” he said, clapping his hands gleefully. “Yay! You saw the post-it. Beatrix wrote it, so it has a cute smiley face on it…” He started to mimic a robot’s voice. “This message will self-destruct in ten seconds…” he then laughed and shook his head. “Kidding.”

Beatrix leaned onto him, and stared right into the camera. “You’re probably wondering why you’re still alive,” she mused, “since I should have sucked you dry, one painful ounce at a time. I mean, that’s what you deserved. You left us behind in bloody 1903, which we did _not_ appreciate.”

“But I guess you forgot about that old Canadian rock filled with Bennett blood, didn’t you?” piped up Kai, winking dramatically. “Even though we got out, we want to make you suffer in new and— if I may say so myself— totally inspired ways.” He licked his lips. “Poor, poor, sweet, human Elena. She seems so eager to get her perfect human life with Damon… but it’s too bad that’s not going to happen anytime soon. No… poor her… she’s going to take a very long Sleeping Beauty caliber night night until you inevitably die. Shocker, isn’t it?” He picked up the camera and brought it closer to his face. “In simpler terms, Bonster, we linked Elena’s life to yours. The rule is— as long as you’re alive, Elena will remain asleep. And oh, please don’t go looking for some weird witchy work-around, because as the incredibly powerful leader of the Gemini’s, and with the help of my very experienced Heretic partner-in-crime, this has been rigged so that if you do try and outsmart it, both you and Elena will die— instantly.”

Beatrix let out a small giggle and took the camera from him. “I think what he’s trying to say is that your betrayal really hurt us, Bonnie. So… this is kind of all your fault. And there is no way that either of us will ever undo the spell. Don’t bother trying to suck up.”

She stopped the recording and set the camera down on the table. “That was fun. Except, of course, we haven’t done the linking yet.”

“Ah, we’ll do it now,” he offered his arm. “Come on, baby, let’s go to a wedding.”

“Not so fast,” she said, bringing up her wrist to her mouth. There was a crunching noise as she bit into it, blood starting to leak out. Kai smirked and took her arm gently, bringing it over to his mouth and pressing his lips over her wound, drinking up the blood that was coming out of her. 

“This is going to taste so much better later,” he said once he’d drank a decent amount. Beatrix cleaned up her wrist as he wiped his mouth. “Can’t wait for that…”

They walked out to where their minivan was still concealed, and let up the spell as they got in. Beatrix was holding the wedding invitation that listed the venue, and they were able to put the address into the GPS to start driving there.

“So, what are you thinking now, in your last hour as a human?” inquired Beatrix, leaning back in the seat.

“Just how excited I am to be a Heretic,” he said, smirking. “I mean, it was great to technically be a witch this time, with Luke and Jo’s magic, but I’d like the whole vampire experience. We can live forever and do whatever we want.”

“You’re just looking forward, then?” she mused. “Nothing holding you back?”

“Hell no. I don’t know what Damon and Elena are thinking, preferring to be human. I hate it. I want to live as long as I can and be strong. They could have had an eternity with each other as vampires. Idiots…” he put his arm around her seat as he kept driving. “Can you imagine how much better sex is going to feel with all the heightened emotions? Jeez. I’m not going to be able to stop.”

She blushed, and shook her head wordlessly as he brought his hand down to her thigh. “You already only stop because your body physically can’t take it anymore. I can’t bloody imagine how you’ll be when you have no major strength limitations…”

When they had arrived at the venue, cloaked once more, and he had kissed her hard, holding her waist in his hands. “Let’s go kill those Geminis that made us lose almost twenty years of our lives, shall we?” he breathed as he pulled away.

They went into the building, seeing all the members of the Gemini Coven milling around and chatting amongst each other. The groom was already waiting at the altar, but the wedding didn’t seem to have started yet, which was sort of odd considering that it should have been underway already.

Beatrix and Kai went to stand near the front, completely invisible to everyone present. The Heretic tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, trying to listen for what might be taking them so long.

“Damon and Elena are probably off doing who knows what!” hissed a female voice near the outside. “They are so late!”

Her lips curled into a smirk. “Well, Elena and Damon are causing the holdup. They’ll be here soon. You have the spell memorized, yes?”

“Of course, _Itza_ ,” he said, leaning over and pecking her cheek, his hand drifting down her back. 

“It’s so weird to think that all of these people have no idea that you’re grabbing my ass right now,” she laughed lightly as he did so. “We’re literally right in front of them and they don’t know…”

“Makes it that much more fun, doesn’t it?” he purred, looking over to where Elena and Damon had arrived, hurriedly fixing their clothes. A blonde woman nearby them shot them a reproachful look as music began to play. They started to walk down the aisle with Damon on the right of Elena, but they switched places quickly and tried to act casual as they linked arms. 

“Awkward,” Kai said in a sing-song voice as Damon went to stand beside the groom.

“And so?” Alaric asked Damon in a whisper that Beatrix leaned in to hear as she approached Elena and carefully plucked out one of her hairs. 

“Looks like I’m joining the human club,” said Damon, looking over at Elena, who was unsuspecting. “It’s a big night for both of us.”

Alaric smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

“You, too, buddy,” whispered Damon. 

The crowd turned as Jo appeared in her dress, her arm linked with the man who was presumably her father. It made Kai cringe as Beatrix walked back to him, beckoning him to extract the vial of Bennett blood.

“Can’t believe she let him walk her down the aisle,” Kai said venomously as he uncorked the vial. Beatrix slipped the hair in, and Kai closed it once again, the two ignoring the wedding proceedings as they clasped hands, the vial enclosed in their fists. “ _Vinculum jugum vergilius maro petrova, ligo praeligo krev, odkaz baula vergilius maro dvojník, svázat cruor sang, enllaç vztah letum mort úmrtí_.”

The vial disappeared, and Kai and Beatrix both grinned. The siphon leaned over and kissed her forehead as he turned her to face the altar, where the reverend was already beginning the ceremony. 

“Welcome, family and friends,” said the woman, “on this magical evening to the wedding of Alaric Saltzman and Josette Loughlin. Josette and Alaric have prepared their own vows.”

“Ahem,” said the groom, clearing his throat as he looked at Jo. “Neither of us should be here right now. We've spent our life dodging fate and beating the odds. But, because we did, I got to meet you, the most beautiful, hilarious and intimidatingly brilliant woman I have ever known. You inspire me, you've shown me that happiness is actually something that I can have in my life. And so…” he turned to one of the ring bearers and took one of the rings off of a cushion. “I promise to be with you, and love you, and to dodge fate with you—” he slid the ring delicately onto her finger, “for the rest of our lives.”

Jo began to cry. “Oh god, that’s a tough act to follow,” she said shakily as everyone laughed.

“I can’t wait any longer,” said Kai, rolling his eyes and extracting the knife he’d already prepared at the house. He stepped forward just as Jo began to speak again, and thrust the knife right into her back, making her gasp loudly. He took the knife out and stabbed it in again, and again, making the Alaric look alarmed as he looked at Jo. 

The bride swayed, blood pooling at the front of her dress. She let out a scream of pure pain and fell forward into Alaric’s arms. Kai chose that moment to undo the cloaking spell, smirking devilishly around at the stunned guests as Alaric began to cry uncontrollably. “I was going to wait ‘til the ‘death do us apart’ bit, but it seemed a little on the nose. Am I right?”

“Oh, definitely,” said Beatrix, smirking as she moved to lean onto him, already having cast a protective spell for what he was going to do next. 

Kai’s father shot up, as if preparing to retaliate, but Kai himself raised his hand, causing a very loud and high-pitched noise to rumble through the entire venue, making everyone but himself and Beatrix let out screams of pain, clutching their heads and trying to wobble forward, to no avail.

“Miss us?” Beatrix cooed, a twisted grin on her face. 

“No?” said Kai, looking around and fake pouting when none of the screaming guests answered them. “Oh… well…”

He thrust his hand over and the windows exploded, the wall behind them bursting open with such force, that Damon and Elena were the first to be thrown back onto the ground, sailing past Kai and Beatrix, who were cloaked once more, just watching the chaos unfold. Elena’s head hit hard onto the ground, and the spell kicked into place. 

“Elena!” cried Damon, scrambling over to her and bringing her onto his lap. “Elena? Come on, hey— wake up. Elena?” He bit into his wrist and forced it against her mouth, trying to feed her his blood.

“Oh god,” sobbed Alaric not far beside them, cradling Jo’s dead body in his arms. “Someone… please… help…”

“KAI!” his father roared, struggling to stand up from where he lay near some already dead witches. 

“Come on, just drink it!” Damon said desperately, not focusing on anything else. “No! Stefan— STEFAN! She— she won’t wake up!”

Stefan, presumably, and the blonde from earlier staggered to their feet from behind, coming closer. “Oh my God,” said the woman, eyes wide.

“She won’t wake up— I don’t understand,” Damon said fearfully. 

“Get her to the hospital, now!” said Stefan immediately.

Damon sped away with Elena in his arms, and Kai rolled his eyes. “Really, I would think that’d be more dramatic…” He flicked his wrist, snapping the necks of Stefan and the blonde beside him, causing them to crumple to the floor as Beatrix made them visible again.

“Nothing personal,” said Kai, looking over at his father from a distance. “But this is a family matter now.”

Beatrix swept her hand, making the woman and Stefan’s bodies levitate and fly off to the side, out of the building. Kai turned to Alaric and kneeled beside him. “Tsk… oh…”

“ _Sanguinem filio_ ,” said a voice behind them. “ _Sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum._ ”

“Oh, let’s guess, prison world?” said Beatrix with a cheeky grin, watching as several of the still living Gemini Coven members joined Kai’s father in chanting. “Woo… so scared.”

“ _Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum…_ ”

“I mean, you can't kill me!” said Kai, not looking back at the others. “Or else, you all die, too, right?” He glanced down at Alaric with fake sympathy as Beatrix waved her hands to clear some of the dead bodies out of the way. “Hey, I'm sorry about your twinsies. I just don't feel like competing for leadership with future Gemini twins. See… when your family decides that you're nothing but an irredeemable piece of trash, well... I guess the best thing to do is prove them right, right?

“ _Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum…_ ”

Kai stood, and Beatrix handed him a broken shard of glass. He turned to face his father. “This ought to do it,” he told him, holding up the glass. He turned to Beatrix. “See you on the flipside, baby.”

He stabbed the glass into his neck, crumpling to the floor as his father let out a horrified yell. Kai began to gag and seize, beginning to bleed to death. He writhed on the floor for a few moments and then went still. 

That certainly did it. Another round of anguished screams as the members of the Gemini Coven fell down, holding their sides as they all began to die. “Where’s my daughter?” cried Kai’s father, looking around wildly as he started to shake. “Liv! LIV!”

Beatrix knelt down and picked Kai up, holding him on her lap and stroking his hair, humming to herself as she waited. She wasn’t internalizing the destruction before her. All she could picture was their agenda being fulfilled— the Gemini Coven was quite soon going to be no more. 

She put her hand over Kai’s forehead, murmuring quietly to speed up the process of him waking up. His death had already locked in— Lily would soon find her building with Heretics, and Elena and Bonnie’s lives were permanently linked. 

He woke with a start, and let out a gasp as she quickly reached over to pull the shard of glass out of his neck. He smirked up at Beatrix and sat up, turning toward his father. “ _Vodux_ ,” he said, causing his father’s figure to be dragged across the floor toward him. He looked down maliciously. “Here’s to being different, Dad.” He run his finger down over his father’s forehead, where blood was leaking from one of his wounds. He brought it to his mouth and licked the blood off, shivering a bit as he completed his transition. “That feels… amazing…”

He turned to Beatrix and cupped her face. “Wow… it’s like I can feel every last skin cell coming up against my palm…”

She smiled. “How does this feel?” she grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Mm… like heavenly fire,” he breathed, holding her face roughly as he kept kissing her. “Just you wait until we get out of here…” he then turned to the side. “Where’s the groom?”

“He left at one point, I didn’t really pay any attention,” she said with a shrug. “I was reviving you.”

Kai licked his lips. “Let’s go find him.” He took her hand and sped outside to the parking lot, looking thrilled at the idea of being able to move so fast.

They found Alaric in his car, looking miserable. Kai stepped forward, and Alaric got out, holding a pistol. “Bad time?” said Kai in a mocking tone. 

Without hesitation, Alaric began to fire, shooting Kai without stopping, though it did absolutely nothing. Kai simply chuckled as the bullets popped themselves out of his wounds, and he began to heal up immediately. “Freaky, right?” he cooed malevolently toward Alaric. “I turned myself into a Heretic. It's really incredible, actually. I can _literally_ siphon the magic of my vampirism and convert it into _more magic_.”

Alaric looked far too emotionally exhausted to care. He raised the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger, but all that sounded was a weak click. He’d run out of bullets.

Kai let out an evil chuckle. “Ooh… looks like somebody’s having a very bad day.”

Out of nowhere, a figure leapt toward them. Beatrix let out a scream as the ringbearer from earlier tackled her and Kai to the floor, viciously chomping into Kai’s neck as he shielded Beatrix. “ _Motus_!” Kai snarled, sending the man flying back into Alaric’s car. Beatrix scrambled up and pulled Kai to his feet as the werewolf’s eyes glowed amber. He cast Alaric a look before running away, and it made Kai let out a weak chuckle. “Ha… bad doggie.”

“Holy shit,” said Beatrix, moving his shirt collar and seeing the already steaming bite, his flesh having been ripped out. “Fuck— fuck—” She grasped him and sped him back into the building, sitting him down and examining the wound. “Crap—” She looked around wildly for any sign of movement from the members of the Gemini Coven. But it was too late, they were all dead. Any blood from them wouldn’t help to strengthen them. She bit into her own wrist and coaxed it into his mouth. “Here— drink. I have to find my phone so I can call Klaus. We can get on a plane to New Orleans and you can drink his blood and be healed—”

“Oh, he needs more than blood,” came Bonnie’s voice. They turned to see her walking toward them. “Maybe some ointment? ‘Cause— gross.” She pointed at her neck to indicate the werewolf bite. 

Kai laughed sarcastically. “Do your friends think you’re funny?” he stood and walked over to her. “Because maybe if you were funny— if you were the one with the good jokes, who they can always count on to make them laugh— maybe they’d be cool with letting you live instead of Elena.”

Bonnie shrugged. “So, the sick humor’s your thing. I’m just the one that does magic.” She raised her hand, and both Kai and Beatrix clutched their heads, letting out groans of pain as the same high-pitched noise from before began to echo violently in their heads. “Undo the spell!” Bonnie snarled. 

“We can’t!” laughed Kai through the pain. “What’s done is done.”

“ _Ossox_!” Bonnie screamed. Beatrix let out a scream as her leg snapped, making her fall to the ground. “Again! AGAIN!” The two Heretics yelled out in pain as Bonnie started to make their bones break, one by one. “Undo the damn spell!”

“I can’t undo the spell, Bonnie!” said Kai, laughing weakly. “My death made it permanent.”

“Fine!” Bonnie snapped. “I’ll just wait for the werewolf bite to kill you. And if Beatrix still won’t help undo it, then I’ll make sure to send her heart to Klaus in a shoebox!”

Kai simply wouldn’t stop laughing, having turned away from Bonnie after he collapsed. He shared a look with Beatrix, who was wincing in pain. But she could recognize the glint in his eyes— he was planning something. “You know what’s funny?” he said. “I hadn’t yet met a pure werewolf in person.” He peeked back to where Bonnie was facing away, breaking the leg off one one of the chairs as a makeshift stake. He put his hand over the bite and began to siphon. “The thing is, Bon— the only way a guy turns into a wolf is if it's magic, right? So technically, their venom's magic, too. So I just went ahead and siphoned it up.”

He stood and whirled around, raising his hand to lift Bonnie’s body off the ground. “No— no!” she screamed.

“ _Motus_!” Kai snapped, sending her flying back into the wall, causing her to crumple to the floor in a heap. He then turned and bolted to Beatrix, biting into his own wrist and pushing it against her mouth. “Come on now, your turn to heal up…”

“How did you figure that out?” she breathed incredulously. “Holy shit— I’d never thought of that—”

“You’ve never been bitten by a werewolf, baby,” he said, cupping her face in his hands as she started to heal. He leaned down and kissed her, letting the blood on her lips smear onto his own. “Have I mentioned that I love you, Itza?”

She was stunned for a moment, just staring at him. She was about to respond when a figure zoomed in, crouching down beside Bonnie. It was Damon. “I got your message,” he said quickly as he crouched beside her, apparently trying to tend to her wounds. “Bonnie… hey… you’re going to be okay.”

Kai let out a snort and stood, making himself known to Damon. “How dumb are you?” he scoffed. “I deliver you a dying Bonnie Bennett on a silver platter and woosh— right over your head.”

“Damon?” Bonnie whimpered weakly. 

“You’re okay,” Damon whispered, ignoring Kai.

“Um, actually, she’s about to croak,” said Kai in a snarky tone. “Of course, you don’t have to help her. I’m assuming you know about how the young, beautiful, human Elena Gilbert is going to be preserved indefinitely as she is…” He took a step forward. “You could just walk away. Bonnie dies of a collapsed lung, no blood on your hands, and you and Elena get to live the life you always dreamed of. Because otherwise… everyday that you wake up without Elena in your arms, you’ll have the burning desire to kill Bonnie.” He chuckled. “Either way, you better act quick.

There was a conflicted look on Damon’s face, and Beatrix found herself smirking as she went to join Kai’s side, putting her arm around him as they watched Damon look down at Bonnie.

“I’m so sorry, Bonnie,” he told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead, ignoring the confused, horrified, and betrayed look on her face. Damon then stood, casting a defeated look to Beatrix, before walking out of the building. Beatrix stepped forward, peering toward the doorway at an angle as she saw him disappear.

Kai let out an exasperated sigh. “That’s it?” he said to Bonnie. “He just left you? Oh come on, the whole point was that this would torture both of you for awhile!”

“Yeah, I guess we underestimated how much he loves Elena,” said Beatrix, smirking as she moved closer to Bonnie, having the sudden desire to watch her die.

“Tell me about it,” Kai muttered. “I mean, you’d think he’d at least flip a coin— heads he picks Bonnie, tails he picks—”

There was the sound of something being sliced, and then a thump, like something falling to the floor. “Heads it is!” said the voice of Damon as Beatrix turned around, just in time to see Kai’s headless body fall to the floor.


	32. Chapter 32

**At first, all she’d done was stare.**

She’d watched the body fall, and she’d been in far too much shock to say anything. On its own, her body had sank down to its knees, her thighs shaking. Damon had ran past her to Bonnie, and within seconds, they were gone, likely to get Bonnie’s injuries treated.

That’s when she’d let out a scream.

It was loud, blood-curdling, and so anguished that the entire building had shook, and the rooftop split open. Beatrix wasn’t paying attention to how much she was damaging the place. The ground was shaking furiously, and rubble was falling all around her, onto the dead bodies strewn all over the place. The wall in front of her had been the first to burst to flames as she kept screaming, her chest having been holding in so much emotion already that she was letting it all out without much conscious thought.

When she finally stopped screaming, she started to cry.

Sobs wracked through her body, and her vision blurred. Shaky hands reached toward the body, and she grazed her fingertips over his chest, swallowing hard as she looked at where the head had been cleanly sliced off. Clumsily, she placed her palm over his chest.

Why was she shocked that there was no heartbeat?

She whimpered and dropped down, another flood of tears streaming out as she lay her head onto his chest, clawing at any part of him that she could, as if he weren’t there, as if his body was merely an illusion. The real Kai had to be somewhere else, maybe having been pulling a prank on her. 

And then she’d looked at the head.

Her face had turned and she caught sight of it, severed and staring right at her, the eyes still open, and blood leaking steadily out of where the neck had been cut. 

“K-Kai,” she whimpered, struggling to draw breath. “K-Kai— oh— o-oh God—”

She crawled over to him. Her legs didn’t seem to be working properly. Everything was blurry and she could hear her own heartbeat resonating in her ears to a painful extent. She reached for his cheek but withdrew her hand, looking down to see her fingers were somehow drenched in blood now. 

Another scream.

“NO!” She’d cried out, scrambling back in disbelief. “NO! No— no— fuck— oh God— this isn’t happening— NO! NOO!”

“Hello?”

She’d whirled around, her face stained with tears as she beheld the police officer that’d apparently arrived at the scene. All around her the building was still burning and yet she hadn’t taken notice of it. Blue, red, and white lights were flashing outside, and it was only making her vision more hazy. 

“Are you alright?” said the officer, coming forward. “Oh— oh—” he had seen all the bodies at long last. He raised his radio, ready to call it in. “I-I’m gonna need—”

He hadn’t been able to finish. Beatrix was too angry, too confused, too distraught. She’d hissed and tackled him to the ground, wanting to feel some sort of control, wanting to find a reality that wasn’t this. She’d sunk her fangs into his neck and ripped out his throat within seconds, leaving the body limp, and joining the pile.

She’d stood, eyes wild, blood dripping down onto her dress. She wasn’t even sure when she’d lost her shoes. She started to breathe heavily, looking all around, still crying and still unable to breathe properly, but somehow, she hadn’t yet fainted. 

“I’m gonna kill them,” she whispered to herself, her hands shaking as she looked down at them. “I’m gonna kill them…. I’m gonna kill Bonnie… kill Elena… kill Stefan…. then Damon….”

More police officers were arriving at the scene. The fire and the smoke must have been visible from the station, even in the dead of night. Or perhaps someone living nearby had called it in. She stumbled out, looking crazed and confused, meeting the gaze of the two officers that had just hopped out of their cars. One male and one female.

Both dead before they could get many words out.

She stood over their bodies, glaring down at their eyes wide open, and the gigantic bloody hole in their necks. She didn’t care anymore. How could she?

_“You’ve never been bitten by a werewolf, baby,” he’d told her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. “Have I mentioned that I love you, Itza?”_

She hadn’t responded. She hadn’t said it back. 

She collapsed back onto her knees, holding her head in her hands and beginning to sob uncontrollably again. “Kai,” she wheezed, moving one hand to clutch her chest. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode. “K-Kai— Kai— I’m— I’m so sorry—”

She wasn’t sure how she managed to get away.

Her legs had carried her elsewhere, surely. But she couldn’t remember moving. She couldn’t remember how she got out of her dress or how she ended up in a bathtub with bubbles floating around her.

“You sure you’re alright, dearie?”

She turned an saw an older woman entering the bathroom she was in. There were two puncture wounds on her neck, and she had a wistful expression.

Somehow, Beatrix must have found the old lady, fed on her, and compelled her to let her into her home.

“I’m fine,” she said out of habit. She wasn’t sure why she said that. She most certainly was not fine. Everything was wrong.

“Do you need me to call anyone for you?” asked the woman. “I have one of those cell phone gadgets you youngsters use. Surely someone will be awake to pick you up?”

She pondered over it for a minute. “I believe I may take you up on that,” she said gently. Her own voice sounded weird. Why was it so level? Why wasn’t she crying anymore?

The woman left and returned not long after with her phone, handing it to Beatrix. “Now, just please be careful not to drop it into the bathtub, dearie,” she said before heading back out of the bathroom.

Beatrix held onto it and stared at the screen. Who could she call? What would even happen if someone picked up? 

She dialed the only number she could remember off the top of her head. The line rung twice, and the person picked up.

“Who is this?” 

“Marcel,” Beatrix breathed in relief. “Marcel…. It’s you.”

“Beatrix?” he cried. “Beatrix— where the hell are you?! It’s— it’s been four months!”

“Marcel,” she said more slowly. She wasn’t sure what to say. How to explain what happened. All the emotion was coming back. She felt herself start to cry again, and she sniffled, swallowing a lump in her throat. “M-Marcel…”

“Beatrix— are you okay? Where are you? I’ll come get you right now, just tell me, and stay there, and I’ll make it there—”

“Kai’s dead,” she said shakily.

There was silence on the other line. 

“K-Kai’s d-dead,” she repeated, shutting her eyes tight. “H-He’s dead— he’s— he’s b-been decapitated…”

“Where are you? Please, Beatrix, I’ll be there within a few hours, just tell me, please— are you still in Mystic Falls?”

“I-I don’t know,” she said shakily. “I d-don’t know where I am… the v-venue… was a-at the edge of t-town… I-I have no idea…”

“Stay put. I’m going to have Davina do a locator spell. Don’t go anywhere. I’m on my way.”

She sobbed and nodded her head. “O-Okay… O-Okay… I’ll try to s-stay…”

She’d hung up and set the phone on the side, carefully placing it so that it would not fall into the bathtub.

That’s when the memories began to flood back.

_“Put your hands where I can see them!”_

_She’d raised her hands and looked over at the officers that had come. Now four of them had arrived, and they could see her clearly standing over the two officers she’d just killed._

_She’d lifted her hands, and a sadistic grin had come onto her face as she let out a mirthless laugh. “Your bullets won’t do anything to me,” she’d said sweetly, challenging him. “But shoot me as many times as you’d like. I want to feel something.”_

_The female had been the first to fire, taking the safe route, considering blood was still dribbling down Beatrix’s face as though she’d been shoved headfirst into an open body cavity._

_The bullet had pierced her right in the side, and she’d just laughed again. She’d looked down as the bullet popped itself out of her, and her skin began to heal. She raised her hand, curling her fingers toward herself, and the officer flew to her side. The three other officers raised their guns as Beatrix gripped the woman by the throat._

_“PUT HER DOWN!” one snarled. “NOW!”_

_“Put her down?” said Beatrix innocently, turning to look at him. “Okay.” She snapped the woman’s neck and dropped her to the floor._

_Another round of bullets. Another useless attempt. She’d laughed more and more with each wound that she got, and took another step forward each time one of them healed. The panicked officers started to step back, but their fate was sealed. She raised both her hands, and two of them gave a gasp, clutching their chests and failing to catch their hearts as they flew out and into her hands. The last officer staggered back, watching in horror as she took a bite out of one of the hearts._

_“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she asked, strolling toward the terrified man. “Never met a Heretic before?”_

_“Y-You— Y-You—” he stammered, crawling away. “S-Satan worshippers!”_

_She rolled her eyes. “No, darling, I don’t mean ‘heretic’ like that. I mean Heretic, like a vampire witch hybrid.” She coiled her wrist and pulled his body up into the air, making it glide steadily toward her. She raised a hand to caress his face, smirking when he cringed back in fear. “Aw, you poor thing… I suppose I ought to leave a survivor…”_

_But her ears perked up at the sound of sirens. More coming this way. Perhaps, it was because the fire was still raging in the background, and because the now six dead officers had not been answering their radios._

_“P-Please— P-Please don’t k-kill me,” the man sobbed. “M-My wife— s-she’s— she’s p-pregnant—”_

_She fake pouted. “Wrong line, pal. You see, I helped to kill a pregnant woman just now. So… I don’t find myself feeling any sort of pity.” She ruffled his hair. “I really wanted to let you live, sweetheart… but there are more on the way. Whoever is the last to arrive is the only one that’ll live…”_

_She’d ripped his heart out before he could scream._

“Dearie? Are you alright in there?”

“I’m fine,” she said again. Why did she keep saying that? She was most certainly not fine. She’d never been less fine. 

“Did you get to call someone?”

“Yes, I did. He’s on his way. Thank you.”

“Of course. Take all the time that you need.”

_No one had stood a chance against her._

_When the other cop cars had shown up, she’d gone on a binge like never before. She tore through the first line, feeding just enough to kill each, or snapping their necks outright, before moving onto the next person. She left absolutely no one standing, not even the firemen who arrived to put out the fire._

_She didn’t care about anything anymore. She was crying the entire time as she killed mercilessly, one after the other, not even remembering to leave a survivor in the end._

_She’d been completely covered in blood when she sped into the forest. She felt elated and devastated at the same time, and she stumbled through the woods until she reached a small cottage with smoke easing out of the tall chimney. She sped to the door, and knocked._

_The old woman opened up. “Oh dear,” she said immediately, stepping outside. “Are you alright, dearie?”_

_“Just need a teeny bit more blood,” she had said, leaning down and biting into her neck. The woman had twitched, and therefore, Beatrix had been gentle and only drank a little bit. She’d put her hands on the woman’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “You’re going to invite me in and forget I fed on you. You’ll draw me a bath, and when I get undressed, you’ll take my dress and burn it in your fireplace.”_

_She had smiled up at her kindly. “Won’t you come in? Please, come inside and let me draw you a bath.”_

Beatrix leaned into the bubbles, humming to herself. She still felt unnerved, and very anxious. She could still see Kai’s eyes wide open, his head resting on its own. She could still remember the coldness of his body when she’d laid her head on it.

It had been hours later when Marcel had arrived.

The woman had let him in, and he’d sped to the bathroom, finding Beatrix already in a bathrobe, sitting next to the window and watching the bubbles still draining. 

“Beatrix,” he said, rushing toward her. “Hey… are you ready to get out of here?”

“Yes,” she said softly. He’d taken her hands in his and pulled her out, thanking the woman and dragging her out to a car he must have borrowed. 

“Here, you can change in the backseat,” he said, tossing a bag of her clothes at her. “I’m driving us to the airport, I already have a human compelled to prepare a private jet for us to fly back to New Orleans, alright?”

“Sure.” 

She had gotten dressed, holding her robe up to cover herself properly, and by the time Marcel had hit the freeway, she had crawled into the front seat.

“What happened?” he asked quietly. “You went M.I.A. and we couldn’t find you. You wouldn’t answer your phone and the locator spells weren’t working. After a bit, it was Rebekah who realized that you must have gotten stuck in the prison world, but there was nothing we could do— none of us know anything about that. Freya couldn’t get it open for us to find you.”

“No, she likely couldn’t, she would have needed an Ascendant and it was broken,” she said simply, leaning into the seat. “We… we went in. And the stupid Bennett witch left Kai and I behind. We… we were traveling for a good three and a half months maybe, trying to make the best of it while we tried to find a solution. We got out yesterday, and we brought with us the six Heretics that were imprisoned there in 1903.”

Marcel’s eyebrows had shot up. “What? Isn’t that— the news that made you and Kol come back all suddenly?”

“Yes. I got to meet them, and find out what really happened that night.”

“What happened today?”

She drew a deep breath. “Everything. We… we finally were going to get rid of the Gemini Coven. We did. They’re gone. No more. But then…”

She started to cry. “K-Kai… K-Kai got k-killed…”

She hadn’t been able to explain any further.

The entire flight to New Orleans, she had been silent.

Marcel had coaxed some proper food into her, but other than that, she wasn’t really responsive. She remained buckled up the entire way, just staring into space and nodding only when necessary. 

“Hey,” said Marcel when they landed. “Come on. Time to get you home.”

“What’s been happening?” she said at last. 

“Um, well, Hayley has been stuck as a wolf these past four months, except on full moons. Elijah is still living in Algiers… he only comes to help Freya care for Hope. Rebekah got put back in her witch body and went traveling for ways to bring Kol back, and of course, to look for you, when we couldn’t find you. Klaus is… well, Klaus. He and Elijah are still really divided. Not a lot of conversation happening between them.”

“Not surprised,” she murmured as he beckoned her into another car that was waiting to drive them back into the French Quarter.

They had arrived at the Mikaelson compound in the early hours of the morning, and found that only Klaus was still awake, holding a bottle of bourbon in his hand, seated in the courtyard and watching the entrance.

“Oh bloody hell, took you long enough!” hissed Klaus, jumping to his feet and speeding toward them. 

“I can’t compel the pilot to fly any faster, Klaus,” said Marcel sharply. 

Klaus ignored him and pulled Beatrix into a tight hug before she could say anything. “I am so bloody sick of you being taken away from us,” he said quietly, rubbing her back. He pulled away and grasped her face. “Well? Are you alright?”

She promptly burst into tears.

It had taken days for anyone to get anything out of her. Marcel had told them all what she had said to him, because otherwise, no one would have known what had gone on.

She was completely herself. There was no cruel voice in her head. No evil feeling in the pit of her stomach. Unknowingly, she’d unleashed enough of it to save herself another episode in the near future. However, she was just delaying the inevitable. 

She didn’t know how to feel. She was in pain, and she didn’t wish to eat. She was crying constantly, and whenever someone tried to bring her food, they’d end up finding the previous food tray still there, and untouched.

Were it not for the fact she was a vampire, she would have been dead. She had so much blood in her system after the destruction she’d rained that she wasn’t anywhere near desiccating. Therefore, it was just keeping her awake enough to succumb to grief.

“Beatrix, you must eat something,” coaxed Freya, bouncing Hope on her hip. The little girl reached her arms toward the Heretic, wanting to be held, but Beatrix kept staring at her wall.

“Please?” said Freya. “Hope wants you to eat.”

“She’s a baby, Freya, she doesn’t want me to do anything other than entertain her,” she muttered. “If Hope had an opinion, she’d want you all to just let me be. She’d be on my side.”

Freya shook her head. “You know that’s not true. She’d be just as worried about you as we are.”

Of course, Freya’s attempts had been unsuccessful.

“Oh, bloody hell, Beatrix, don’t make me compel you to eat!” hissed Klaus, aggravated. “Please, for the sake of whatever bloody deity you worship— feed yourself!”

“You really have no idea how grief works, do you?” she muttered. “You’ve never lost someone that you loved this deeply. All you’ve had in the past are flings. Most are still alive.”

“Do you not think it pains me to see you this way? I may not understand what your pain is for this man who you knew for nineteen years, but I do not wish to see you destroy yourself. You’d turn into me! I do not want that for you!”

“You’ve never had anything against my more violent side. Right now, it’s an inconvenience for you because you condemned your daughter’s actual mother to a terrible fate, and you want me to help raise her!”

He hadn’t tried again after that, thinking perhaps she might need a good killing spree to heal. He’d organized one, of course, having trapped several tourists in a room and been ready to offer them to her as a gift, but Freya had kept him from doing it, and the tourists had been released. 

“Itza.”

“Don’t you dare call me that, Elijah,” she hissed immediately upon hearing his voice. “You don’t deserve to.”

He came closer to her despite her hostility. “You need to talk. Please, let me help you. I needn’t say anything, I swear to just listen—”

She’d leapt out of her bed, glaring at him. “What do you want to hear me say, Elijah? Do you want to hear about how Kai died? Do you want to hear about how I fell in love with him and he was ripped away from me? Will that satisfy you? You couldn’t have Hayley, and now I’m available again, which means you’re free to have at it? NO! I’m not telling you anything! I don’t want you to ever call me that name again! I want you to— to fucking forget I told it to you! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!” 

She beat her fists into his chests weakly. She had no strength, and she wasn’t hurting him at all physically. Just with her words. “I WISH YOU DIED INSTEAD OF HIM! I WISH I NEVER MET YOU! I’D DO ANYTHING TO HAVE THE YEARS I HAD WITH YOU AND PUT THEM INTO TIME WITH HIM! I WAS HIS FIRST AND ONLY CHOICE! HE NEVER TOOK ME FOR GRANTED! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!”

She could hear Hope crying in the other room. She was being far too loud. Too hurt to be considerate. 

Elijah had given her a pained look. He couldn’t hold it against her. “I am so, so sorry, Beatrix,” he said quietly. “If I could give my life for his, if it meant your happiness, I would. I have been awful to you. And I deserve your anger.”

“You deserve more than my anger,” she seethed. “I wish you could feel the fucking pain I’m in! I wish you a thousand times the pain you felt when Klaus made Gia kill herself! You’ve known her for less than a year and it fucking hurt, didn’t it? DIDN’T IT?”

She punched him again, but it barely ruffled his suit. “I loved him,” she said, more softly this time as she sank back. “And it hurts so fucking bad… so fucking bad…”

She closed her eyes, swallowing back sobs. She remained like that for only a few seconds, but by then, it was far too late for Elijah to do anything. When she opened her eyes, he saw the change in them immediately. His mouth went dry, as her once shimmering pupils became dull, and almost lifeless.

“What the hell did you do?” he said in a deadly whisper.

Beatrix cast him a wry grin. “I turned it the fuck off.”


	33. Chapter 33

**By the time they got her to turn it back on, she’d gotten herself in quite a bit of trouble.**

“What do you bloody mean she turned it off?” Klaus had snarled when Elijah came downstairs to tell the group. 

“Niklaus, it is not so difficult to understand that she, a vampire, turned off her humanity!” Elijah snapped.

Freya held her hands up to silence them. “This isn’t going to help her at all. Has she ever done this before?”

Klaus shook his head. “She’s never felt hurt like this. Never. She never had reason to. She’s always been the one that works through her emotions and— and assists the rest of us.”

Elijah rubbed his forehead. “Clearly, we approached this entire thing wrong.”

Klaus jabbed a finger into his brother’s face. “NO! This was all your bloody fault! We told you she wouldn’t want to see you and you barged in anyway!” he held his hand up to stop Freya from pulling him back. “I told you all— what she needed is to let her anger out in a proper, vampire way! You think I do not know her as well as you? Just because she let you address her by her given name does not mean you reign in all issues concerning her, Elijah!”

“Do you really think that sending her on another killing spree would have done her any good, Niklaus?” he snapped. “Did you see the count of how many she killed just outside Mystic Falls, with her bare hands? Seventeen people! Seventeen men and women! Seven firefighters and ten police officers! Not to mention the mass murder of all the Gemini Coven members, and an innocent pregnant woman who was carrying twins!”

“Don’t add the coven’s numbers to her total!” sneered Klaus. “They imprisoned her— she had every reason to want them dead!”

“I will not condone her actions just because they were justified! We should have been there for her right away— we should have searched harder—”

“She was in a bloody prison world again, Elijah, one which none of us had access to—”

“ENOUGH!” Freya swiped her hands out and sent them both jumping back from each other. “You both claim to want to help Beatrix and yet, neither of you are willing to work together on this!”

Elijah glared at Klaus. “I do not trust him in this. He killed Gia, he left Hayley condemned as a wolf, and he was intending to send Beatrix on another spree that would have only coaxed her into more violence!”

“Brother, you best not be thinking of Hayley at a time like this,” said Klaus with a fiery glint in her eyes. “After all, were it not for your infatuation with her, Beatrix never would have strayed and fallen in love with that boy. You were the one neglecting her!”

“Klaus, darling.”

They all looked up to where Beatrix was leaning over the balcony, looking at them, and smirking devilishly. She was all cleaned up, her hair now cut to hang over her shoulders in delicate curls, her makeup done to match the black tank top she was wearing, with shorts that hung quite short, but loosely, over her behind. 

She started to walk down the stairs, swaying her hips as she walked. “You needn’t be speaking of me as if I can’t hear you,” she said, coming over to the group and winking. She leaned onto Klaus, looking up at him curiously. “No need to chastise him, darling, he can focus on Hayley all he wants now. What do I care? It’s not like he can ever have her. She’s married now. I don’t want him anymore.”

“Beatrix,” said Klaus quietly, looking down at her. “Just where do you intend on going, dressed like that, love?”

She let out a soft giggle and put her hand on his chest. “Don’t call me ‘love' as if it doesn't turn you on to say it, Klaus. Or else, you'll tempt me.”

Klaus’s jaw twitched. “Don’t be absurd, Beatrix, I would never dare to take advantage of you when you’re like this. I mean nothing by it, and you know that.”

“Oh… that’s right… blondes are your thing, aren’t they?” she mused. “That Caroline girl was blonde… now Cami… I suppose you must have had a thing for brunettes in the past, because after all, Hayley and I were special at some point.”

“Beatrix,” said Freya gently. “How are you feeling?”

She cast her a look. “Fine, Freya, absolutely fine.” Her eyes then widened as an idea came into her head. “You should come with me to the club! I’m sure you have friends you can introduce me to, by now?”

Freya was a bit stunned. “Um—”

“There will be no going to clubs,” said Elijah with a tight-lipped smile. “You are not to leave this compound, Beatrix.”

She turned to face him and came closer, brushing her hands up his suit, towards his neck. “What’s there to do in here?” she asked with a fake pout. “Unless… of course… you’re going to provide some entertainment…”

Within seconds, she’d snapped his neck.

He probably could have stopped her, but he didn’t want to fight her.

“Beatrix!” said Freya in surprise.

“Freya!” she mocked, rolling her eyes. “Oh, come on, he was being so annoying! You can do with much better brotherly entertainment. Klaus is fun.”

She moved back toward him, and he caught her wrists as they drifted to touch him. “As much as I hate warding off attention from you,” he said, “I believe your interests lie in other places.”

She batted her eyelashes. “Oh? So… not in your bed, then?”

He smirked. “Ah, so ‘no humanity Beatrix’ wants to pounce on everything in sight, is that it? That should be an easy enough problem to solve. I will be quite willing to fetch you any young men and women that suit your tastes.”

Beatrix was no longer smiling. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, Klaus? You think that you’re going to be the key to me turning it back on, or something? This was inevitable. I’d been considering turning it off since the day I got back here. I only lasted these past few days because I thought perhaps… someone would give me a reason not to. You’re all quite terrible at comforting someone who’s grieving.”

“We’re far older than you, love, at this point, we don’t really feel things so deeply, do we?” he said, releasing her wrists and grasping her face roughly, pulling it closer to look into her eyes. “Turn it back on. Now.”

She stared into his eyes for an instant, putting on a wistful expression as if the compulsion was working. But then, her hands flew to grasp his wrists, and she began to siphon, causing him to release her and leap back.

“Nice try, darling, but you must know that I took preventative measures when I was planning this.” She held up her daylight ring, which now had a purplish tint to it. “I spelled it to hold vervain and wolfsbane, and cast a charm so that it won’t harm me. It’s just enough to keep you from compelling me. If you try to take the ring off, it won’t burn you… but it will kill me. So… I think you’ll have to think a bit harder on your little plan, hmm? Not that you need to try. I like it this way. No pain.”

“Please, Beatrix, just turn it back on,” said Freya desperately. “It will hurt so much more if you eventually turn it on, any time in the future. The pain will be worse than what you were already feeling. You don’t want to suffer like that!”

“You’re right, Freya, I don’t,” said Beatrix. “That’s why I don’t plan on ever turning it back on.”

She sped out of the compound before either of them could react.

**_**

And so, months had passed.

July had been the first to go. Beatrix hardly came to sleep, but when she did, she was never unaccompanied. There was always some poor man or woman who she dragged into her room. She’d feed on them all through the night, using them to rant about her annoyance with the Mikaelsons, then toss them out in the morning, telling them to forget everything she said and to forget that she nearly drained them of all the blood in their system. At the very least, she hadn’t killed anyone in July. 

She had partied and gone to just about every club in Louisiana, dancing and having her fun and leaving with plans and ideas of what to do next. She didn’t care about how obvious she was being about her powers. She’d do tricks for money, depositing more and more into her bank account every day. She’d make bets that she would of course win, such as downing a certain amount of drinks or lasting a certain amount of time in a chokehold. She’d win at arm wrestling competitions and do all sorts of athletic challenges that kept her pockets full and her interests met.

August had been next. She’d had her fun for an entire month already just accumulating funds and being reckless without violence. So of course, August had turned out to be the prime time for her to start killing. She’d left Louisiana at some point, and had killed at least one person in each state as she moved around, but by then, Klaus and the others weren’t bothering to track her, unless they found her within the French Quarter.

Bodies were appearing all across the country, killed in the most creative ways that she could think. One, drained of blood completely, and filled instead with toothpaste (different brands combined). Another, with every organ torn out and laid out in alphabetical order in terms of the names. Three at once, their spines and other bones snapped to make them bendable in order to spell out ‘BLS’ on the pavement. It was sickening and terrible, and each time the Mikaelsons heard of a new brutal and completely bizarre murder, they knew it’d been Beatrix’s doing.

In September, they could no longer sit idly by. The first of September, they’d gotten Davina and Freya together to try and find something that could be done. They were looking up spells that could perhaps flip the switch for Beatrix, but they were all looking to be very dangerous.

“You’re telling me there isn’t a spell you can do to force her to turn it on?” Klaus had snapped.

“We never said that,” said Davina coldly. “We’re just saying it’s risky. It could cause damage to her, or to us. She’s the one that’s always been better at darker spells without getting the sucky side effects. If Freya and I did these spells, we could die from being taken over by black magic.”

“There has to be something else, then!” growled Klaus. “Consult every bloody grimoire in this house— I don’t care— just find something!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t hijacked my spell to bring Kol back, he would be here to help!” hissed Davina. “If he were here, he might have known how to comfort her so that she wouldn’t have turned her humanity off in the first place! If he were here— he’d know a spell we could do!”

“If we’d let you on with your little project, Dahlia would have killed us all, little witch, keep that in mind!” sneered Klaus. 

Elijah, Klaus, and Marcel had done a different type of research. None of them knew enough about magic to look in terms of spells, but they’d managed to find a woman who claimed to be the daughter of Robert Cavelier de La Salle— a vampire who’d been living a simple life in Dijon, France, since her birth in 1687.

“If she really is Beatrix’s half-sister, she might be able to help,” said Marcel. “Beatrix traveled to Dijon— she met people who were related to her, she just didn’t reveal her true identity. She might know this woman. It could help.”

And so, when they’d found Beatrix at Rousseau's chatting idly with Cami, who was for some reason not in any danger around her, they’d brought in the woman.

“Beatrix.”

She turned as Cami started to wipe down the clean glasses. “Yes, Klaus?” she said with a cheeky smile.

“We have someone here to see you,” the hybrid said, beckoning to the door as Marcel led the woman in.

Tall, slender, with pale skin and thin blonde hair, she looked absolutely nothing like Beatrix, but every bit like their father. She moved forward slowly, and smiled. “Beatrix, is it?” she asked gently in her French accent. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Of course, they had met once. But the woman had had no idea that Beatrix was her sister, back then.

Beatrix gave her a wry look. “Renée,” she murmured. “Yes, I remember you. Renée Catarina La Salle, born in Texas, but raised in Dijon. Pray tell, why are you here? What have they promised you?”

“Nothing,” said Renée, striding forward. “I have not been told much about you, just that you’re my sister.”

A lie. Marcel and Klaus had told her exactly what was going on, and it had been Renée that suggested going before they could ask her to. 

Beatrix stood, observing her. “You and I, we look nothing alike. Why would you believe anyone who told you that?”

“Perhaps because I just wanted to see for myself,” she said simply. “Neither of us met our father. I was conceived mere months before he died. But my mother kept the journal he carried, and there was an entry from 1683, regarding a woman named Soleil claiming to be carrying his child. It didn’t take too much searching to find a drawing of her. You look just like her.”

Beatrix swirled the drink in her hands, not looking over at the woman. “Well, darling, I haven’t much to offer you. I suggest you leave before this gets ugly.”

Renée was not about to back down. “I would like for us to get to know each other,” she said. “I believe we are from the same sireline, and we are indeed half-sisters.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but I don’t give a fucking damn,” said Beatrix with a careless shrug. “Walk away. This is your last warning.”

Her mistake had been to try and touch Beatrix’s hand. “Please, sister—”

Beatrix had seized her heart and torn it out before Marcel or Klaus could stop her.

Cami had turned away immediately, covering her mouth as Renée’s dead body fell to the floor. Beatrix glared up at Klaus. “Really? You think you could get me to turn my humanity back on with the help of a woman I only knew once? Why did you think that would do absolutely anything? You don’t know me, do you? Not at all.”

She’d sped away and they hadn’t tried to catch her.

“This is getting bloody ridiculous!” Klaus sneered on the 15th of that month. “Nothing has worked! NOTHING!”

“Perhaps if you just apologized to Elijah so that you could all work together properly, something would turn up!” chided Freya.

The hybrid whirled to face her. “Do not lecture me on my relations with Elijah!”

“The house is divided because you’re both at odds!” she cried. “Maybe things are better with Marcel because you let him take over the Quarter again, but it doesn’t erase what happened!”

“If Elijah does not wish to forgive me, then that’s his bloody problem! He can spend his time brawling in Marcel’s bloody fight gym for all I care! Hayley tried to take my daughter! He does not get to tell me how to go about that! If he cannot set aside his idiocies to help the woman he loved far before Hayley’s parents were even born, then we do not need him!” 

Freya crossed her arms. “Do I need to tell Rebekah to come home?”

“No!” snarled Klaus. “We have it under control!”

“Do you? Even Cami is scared to go near her now, even if Beatrix hasn’t hurt her. She’s torn through too many people to keep count anymore! Davina won’t help because you’re all being uncooperative and she doesn’t want to come off as a vampire sympathizer anymore!”

“To hell with Davina and her bloody covens, then!” roared Klaus. “We don’t need her and we don’t need Elijah!”

“How do you propose we get Beatrix to turn her humanity back on, then?” cried Freya. “Tell me, Klaus, I’m all ears!”

He hadn’t responded right away.

Beatrix was still having the time of her life. 

She was at another club, feeding on one of the waitresses in the shadows. She had her eyes closed until she’d heard someone clapping slowly, and footsteps coming her way.

“Very good, very good, you chose the one with the tastiest blood,” said a man as he walked toward her. Dark brown hair that was neatly groomed, piercing hazel eyes, slim yet muscular, with a dark leather jacket. He was not much taller than her, and yet, he carried himself like he was the most impressive man in the world. 

“You’ve tasted all the servers?” asked Beatrix, letting the waitress go and sending her stumbling away to bring more drinks. The Heretic leaned back against the wall, letting her gaze drift up and down his figure before fixating on the charming smirk plastered on his handsome face. 

“All of them since I arrived, yes,” he said, coming closer. “Haven’t been here for more than a few hours. You weren’t here earlier.”

“No, I was murdering a brat of a pizza delivery boy in Algiers earlier,” she said casually, standing up straight. “He absolutely refused to let me have a slice.”

“A slice of the pizza or a slice of his neck?” inquired the man. 

“Both,” she replied, batting her eyelashes. “And what might your name be?”

“Lucien Castle,” he replied, stretching his arm out to shake hers. “And you?”

“Beatrix La Salle,” she stated, offering her hand. He took it and kissed it. “My my, a beautiful name fitting for an absolutely stunning woman. Tell me, should we get out of here? I have someone whose blood you might like better.”

“Lead the way, darling,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

Reckless, passionate, dirty, rough, there were likely not enough words to describe what went on in the newly purchased penthouse that night, but in the end, it fulfilled the goal that the Heretic had— pleasure that could make her forget why she was being so reckless in the first place. And this time, without her humanity, there was no nagging feeling of guilt, only bliss that she craved to draw herself further and further away from ever turning the switch back on.

She’d come to sleep at the Mikaelson compound for the first time in two months that morning, still stumbling and feeling unbelievably tired.

“Her mother,” Klaus had been saying to Freya earlier, when he’d finally figured out what to try. “It has to be it. I know what she looks like because I painted the woman for her once. I recall a brief scene from her childhood. If you were to channel me, would you be able to create the illusion of her mother, or something? Surely that would make her turn her humanity back on.”

“We can try it,” Freya said, pursing her lips. “Yes… that might be the last possible thing that could work.

When Beatrix had awoken the following afternoon in her bed, curled up under the sheets, she’d been greeted with a pat on her shoulder.

“Itza,” breathed the almost forgotten voice of Ixazaluoh. “ _Mija_. Wake up. I didn’t raise you to sleep in.”

Beatrix whirled around, certain she was still dreaming. “ _Mamá_ ,” she breathed. 

It was certainly her mother, every last detail pinned down by Klaus’s memories of Beatrix’s dreams. Her long, flowing, dark curls. Her gentle brown eyes, and the kind smile that she’d presented her daughter with every morning. The loose robes she wore, splattered with different colors from making tonics, potions, and other mixtures to alleviate all illnesses. She looked like Beatrix, just a bit older, and with her skin a few shades darker. 

“ _Mija_ ,” she breathed. “Why have you let yourself go? I never taught you to be like this. What did I tell you, when you found out you were a siphon?”

Beatrix gulped, feeling a bit embarrassed. “To never use that power to hurt. Not like how I burned you, that one time.”

“Exactly. And yet, all I see is blood on you. Traces all over your body from the people you have killed. Didn’t I tell you that I didn’t want that for you? I escaped my people because they sought to sacrifice me. Me, an innocent, torn to pieces just for a meager attempt at bringing back the Mayan civilization. Something that never would have worked. I hid you from the witches because they sought to hurt you. I always taught you how precious human life is. How fragile. And I was so proud that you only ever killed in self-defense when you first became a vampire. I taught you to fight for yourself and you did. But this?”

She sat on the bed beside her daughter, and reached for her face. “This is not you. I did not fight to hide you so that you could be corrupted. You are better than this. You have more potential than you realize. It hurts so badly to lose someone you love. It pained me when your father sent me away. It hurt so much more when I died and lost you, never able to touch you again.” She withdrew her hand, as if to make a point, when really, Freya simply feared that if her illusion made contact, Beatrix would realize it was a trick, and they would lose her.

“I-I’m sorry, _Mamá_ ,” said Beatrix shakily, looking ashamed. “ _Porfavor… me tienes que perdonar… no quiero pensar que estás enojada conmigo... aunque es un sueño, no quiero que estés decepcionada… yo jamás pensé que te estaba haciendo sentir avergonzada de mi. No fué mi intención_.”

 _Translation:_ [Please… you have to forgive me... I don’t want to think that you are mad at me…. even if this is a dream, I don’t want you to be disappointed… I never thought that I was making you feel ashamed of me. It wasn’t my intention.]

The woman gave her a smile. “Then turn it on, my darling,” she whispered. “This may be only a dream, but if you turn it on, you will still feel the relief, and I swear to you, it will be the right choice to make when you wake up. Please, do it for me.”

Beatrix didn’t even think that this wasn’t really a dream. She had no idea that she was actually awake, and this illusion was a trick meant to get her to turn her humanity on again. After all, once she turned it on, everything would flood back, and the guilt would keep her from turning it back on again. 

And so, she closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. When she opened them, she began to cry immediately, tears streaming steadily down her face once she saw her mother was no longer in front of her.

She looked to the doorway, where Klaus was standing, looking in at her reaction. Freya was beside him, holding Hope. 

“S-She w-wasn’t— w-wasn’t really h-here, w-was she?” Beatrix hiccuped, her body trembling as she started to sob. 

“No, love, she wasn’t,” said Klaus gently, going over to sit at her side. “But I know that your mother is watching over you no matter where she is, right now. Even if she cannot appear to you in dreams without it being a memory, it doesn’t mean she’s gone.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “I only knew Kai for a very brief moment. And yet, I could see how special he was to you. Like your mother, he isn't truly gone. I promise you that. I… I apologize that you had to lose him. I really, really, am sorry.”

She pulled him into a tight hug instead of replying.


	34. Chapter 34

**At the one month mark, everyone could finally exhale when it came to Beatrix.**

Their problems were far from over, but by the time the full moon hit in October, there was no denying that at long last, there was no need to be worried she might spiral downward again.

She had cried profusely the first few days afterward. For just a few moments, Klaus and Elijah had set aside their feud to comfort her, bringing her all the food they knew she’d enjoy, and leaving her alone whenever she asked. Klaus had been exceptionally intent on pampering her, bringing Hope along to let her cry while hugging the little girl, who would affectionately rub Beatrix’s arms as if understanding what she was feeling, and knowing that her presence was making it better.

When she’d stopped crying, she’d started fighting, but not in a negative way. She made it a habit to go to Marcel’s fight gym in the St. Anne’s Church daily. She’d fight once, then go out for a run, return to fight again, then run some more, tiring herself out as much as she could and getting herself in better shape than she’d been in for a long time. She and Elijah hadn’t yet had a formal conversation, but seeing as he was a regular there too, they found themselves training with each other most times.

Before, Elijah was accustomed to sparring with Marcel. He was a good match, but Beatrix was better. She was a century and a half older than Marcel, and though she hadn’t trained so hard in awhile, she was much stronger by default, and proved to be a much better match for Elijah.

The younger vampires that Marcel was training were fascinated. They found with such speed and intensity that it was ridiculously entertaining, even for those who had no idea that Elijah and Beatrix were currently not really on speaking terms. And for those who did know, it was more fun to make bets on who would win.

Most times, it was Elijah. He was an Original, obviously, and much older and stronger than Beatrix. However, both were clever, and Beatrix could find ways to pin him down pretty well sometimes. It didn’t matter to either of them who won or who lost— in the end, it helped them get their anger out and simultaneously serve as examples for the new vampires that aspired to be just like them. 

They each wanted to have a civil conversation. But Beatrix knew herself. She was still quite bitter with Elijah, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from snarling. As for Elijah, he was paranoid he would say the wrong thing. 

He’d been trying to be better, he really had. He kept his distance from her respectfully, but doted on her without end even though he hated being in the safe room as his brother to do so. He was trying to figure out a way to show her that he wanted to choose her, without having a second option. However, it was difficult to discern the correct manner to do so. Hayley wasn’t around, and he knew that she might take this as an insult that he was only telling her his feelings after the hybrid was forced to remain a wolf. Additionally, the loss of Kai was still fresh, and he didn’t want to move in and impose himself when she was still grieving. He felt it disrespectful to both Beatrix and Kai, and he knew Beatrix wouldn’t take it well, granted the fact that the one time Elijah met Kai, he tried to kill him.

At the very least, she was better. She was eating and thriving, connecting with Freya as they both helped to raise Hope in Hayley’s absence. The two shared a fiery nature when it came to magic, and with so much power, it was only natural that after everything, they were finally becoming friends.

Beatrix wanted to be healthy and intact, for Hope’s sake. She was already walking, and it pained the Heretic to know that her mother wasn’t around to see it. She hoped, at least, that she could fulfill her duties as a nurturing aunt. She was trying hard to be a good example. Cami had been a huge help in that area, helping her to cope with the parts of herself she couldn’t change, for the purpose of being strong for her niece. 

“She’s getting bigger by the second,” mused Freya as she and Beatrix played with Hope on the floor. She looked up at Elijah, who was in the doorway. “Tomorrow’s the full moon. I can help you bring Hope to Hayley, if you’d like.”

Elijah knelt down beside them, and was about to answer when Klaus walked into the room. “I’d offer to accompany you myself,” said the hybrid loudly, “but I fear my fragile ego could not endure the litany of insults Hayley has no doubt prepared.”

“Yes, I doubt that your presence is particularly welcome anywhere,” retorted Elijah in annoyance.

Klaus feigned offense. “My own brother, greeting me with such disdain!” He turned to Freya and Beatrix. “What do you two think? Is he still angry for my part in Hayley’s curse? Need I remind him it was my ploy that kept her alive?”

Elijah turned to face Klaus. “Of course, forgive me. So, you would call this an act of heroism even as you bask in her torment?”

“Or perhaps I’d be more sympathetic if Hayley apologized,” said Klaus. “After all, it was her that tried to run off with my daughter.”

Beatrix flew between them before they could start bickering again. “If you’re going to poke at one another, do it somewhere else. There’s a baby in the room, in case you can’t tell, and considering how you treated me like a porcelain doll for the past month, I’d say you don’t want to break your streak of behaving like civilized gentlemen. No squabbling in here. It’s bad for the baby and it’s bad for me.”

Elijah sped out of the room rather than replying, and Freya let out an exasperated sigh, standing up and facing Klaus. “Nicely done,” she told him as she headed out to follow after Elijah. “At this rate, you’ll drive the entire family away.”

Klaus gritted his teeth when she left, and went to his daughter, who was holding her arms up for him to pick her up. “Excellent, isn’t it?” he told her as he scooped her up. “Everyone hates me. I’m always the bad guy.”

“You’re being too generous. Not ‘always,’” said Beatrix pointedly. 

Klaus rolled his eyes. “When are you finally going to speak to my brother so he can let up this nonsense?”

“Me talking to him won’t change the fact that he and the rest of us are still cross at what happened to Hayley. It’s a terrible thing. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone, not even Damon Salvatore.”

“Ah, and now I am reminded of the similar interests we share,” he chuckled, putting his arm around her playfully. “Stefan was always my favorite Salvatore brother.”

“If you were both into men, I don’t doubt you’d be married to each other,” said Beatrix with a cheeky smile. “Klefan.”

“Don’t tease as if he isn’t attractive, love, have you seen the man?”

“Very briefly. Not my type.”

“Oh, because he’s all sunshine and feeding on animals instead of humans most times? He has a dark side too, Beatrix. He’s a Ripper.”

“He’s a Salvatore, and right now, that surname doesn’t bring me any joy.”

He hadn’t nagged her about it after that. “You should join Camille tomorrow,” he stated. “I am having an exhibition of my art. Accompanying her might bring you both some fun.”

“Ooh, is it so I can witness you asking her out?” she said teasingly, making Klaus’s smirk drop into a rather deep frown.

Regardless of whether he was finally asking Cami out or not, Beatrix met with her the following afternoon.

“I was so busy yesterday,” Cami said as the two women walked toward the St. James Infirmary. “NOLA PD wanted me to do a psychological profile on a potential killer. It was really unsettling— they carved a smile onto a two people's faces.”

Beatrix scrunched her nose up. “Damn. I swear it wasn’t me, though, I haven’t hurt anyone since September. Which, granted, was only a month ago, but it’s a new streak after my no-humanity-binge.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t think it was you,” said Cami quickly. “I kind of just wanted to hear your thoughts on it because… well… I don’t know— do you think Klaus would ever do something like that?”

“Definitely not. He’s not one to leave marks like that. How was the body left?”

“The first one had the man’s wrist tied, but there were no marks as though he’d actually been restrained. Compelled, my guess, and the ropes were just for exhibition purposes.”

“Not Klaus’s kind of style. I don’t know any vampire who might do such a thing…”

“Marcel is sure it isn’t one of his new guys, and I highly doubt Elijah would be behind this. D’you think, maybe… a new vampire in town?”

“There have been a few new ones,” said Beatrix as they reached the door. She opened it for Cami to let her in. “I slept with one who arrived in September— that last day I had my humanity off—”

She then froze, looking toward Klaus, who was seated at the bar with none other than Lucien Castle. She dove behind Cami, who made a weird face. “What’s wrong?” she asked her.

“That’s him!” she hissed as a server passed by offering them both a glass of champagne. “That’s the guy!”

Cami waved the server off and turned around. “What? The guy that was just beside Klaus?”

“Yes!” she said, her cheeks fiery red. “Oh my God— I don’t know how to react anymore! I had my humanity off and it was—” she shivered, “ _so_ unlike me— this is mortifying! It was a one night stand— I didn’t think I’d ever see him again!”

“I suppose,” came Klaus’s voice from behind Cami, making both women look toward him, “later is better than never, but you are _late_ , indeed.”

“Well, we’re not fully here for the show,” said Cami. “I wanted to talk to you about something and you weren’t answering the phone.” 

Beatrix, meanwhile, was trying to keep her gaze down, but she could sense Lucien was looking at her. “Is that um— that bloke an old friend of yours?” she asked Klaus quickly.

“Old acquaintance,” said Klaus a bit hesitantly. “Nothing more.”

“‘Old acquaintance?’” said Lucien loudly from the bar. “You wound me!”

“He can hear us?” said Cami quietly. “Is he a—”

“Hard of hearing?” offered Lucien. “Quite the opposite, actually. Side effect I inherited from Nick.”

Klaus glared back at him. “We can discuss my discourteous friend _Lucien_ at our next little chat. For now, let's preserve your precious boundaries, shall we?”

“Wait a minute,” said Beatrix, eyes wide. “Is— is that? Your first bloody sireling? _That_ Lucien? Oh holy fuck.”

Klaus threw his hands up as if he didn’t want her to bring that up right now. “For heaven’s sake, Beatrix, go speak to the bloody man instead of standing around like a teenager! Camille, we can speak in the other room.”

He led Cami away, and with a devilish smirk, Lucien made his way toward Beatrix. “Are you attempting to avoid me, beautiful?” he inquired. 

“Please don’t call me that,” she said immediately, her cheeks still tinted red. She tried to find the words to stray the conversation away from their awkward past encounter, but she ended up choosing to just be blunt. “Listen I—”

“It’s alright,” he cut her off. “We can pretend we’re strangers, it’s not a problem. Though, I think you may have left a small ripped piece of your lingerie on my window—”

“I had my humanity off,” she blurted out. “I was on a killing spree and I was not myself. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again and have to explain that. It’s mortifying and it was so unlike me, and I just— I probably came off so bitchy and obnoxious—”

“You needn’t worry, Beatrix,” said Lucien smoothly. “I understand. I cannot imagine what drove you to turn it off in the first place, but my sympathies lay with you. We can start fresh. We cannot compel each other, but I’m sure Klaus would be more than happy to make me forget our encounter, if you would like.” 

She shook her head. “That’s sweet of you, but no… thank you for understanding, though. I appreciate it.”

He nodded, still smirking. “You’re from Klaus’s sireline too, then? What year did he sire you?”

“1705. You?”

“The year 1002, I believe. The first of the line, and the first sired vampire after the Originals were made by their mother. How old were you, when you were sired?”

“Twenty.”

“Ah, so we were around the same age then. It’s a little hard to keep track for myself, after so long. Your name— I can’t help but find some familiar aspect to it, as if I’d heard it before from Klaus’s other progeny. I’ve been trying to figure it out since September without researching, because I’m sure I’ve heard of you somewhere. Just… not sure where, or how. I suppose I was hoping to see you again, to ask you.”

“Well, I’m the Original Heretic, so I’m sure there’s been talk of me over the years,” she stated. “Other than that, the only famous La Salle is my father, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle— a French explorer.” 

She then stopped, pausing to think to herself. 

Her sister. Poor, innocent, Renée. Beatrix had shed most of her tears in the past month for her. She couldn’t believe herself— a formal meeting with her half-sister, and she had killed her without much hesitation. She had considered turning her humanity back on in that moment, and she hadn’t. She’d made the terrible decision to end the girl’s life without getting to know her. Even though they looked nothing alike, they perhaps might have had some similar mannerisms. They also shared a sireline, and yet, Beatrix had refrained from getting to know her.

Lucien hadn’t taken her pause as a hint that she was zoning out. “Ah, that’s it!” he said, snapping her out of her mind. “Heretic! Yes, I heard about that— quite impressive. Of all the sirelines, Klaus got all the Heretics, I believe. I’m not absolutely certain about that, of course, but rumor has it that the other Heretics were from our sireline as well.”

She cast him a small smile. “It would be nice to think that they are from our sireline. I must say, though, you keep bringing up the sirelines. It’s a curious thing.”

“Haven’t you heard of the turmoil brewing?” he inquired. “I have to speak to Klaus about that, still, but there’s been conflict between the three remaining sirelines. A sort of dominance competition, if you will.”

“Hmm, haven’t heard anything about that,” she murmured. “Of course, I’ve been M.I.A. on and off for a while since the start of the 1900s, totaling around almost fifty years of not being in the know about things.”

“You haven’t missed much, really, but there are issues.” He looked up as Klaus made their way toward them. “It was lovely to see you again, Beatrix. I must really speak with him about this.” He took her hand and kissed it before dashing off with Klaus.

Cami was already gone by then. Beatrix assumed either her and Klaus’s chat about a potential serial killer had gone very well, as in, Cami had needed to dash off to give NOLA PD some much needed details, or it had gone very bad and Klaus had made her feel like she needed to get away from him.

Her phone began to ring as she walked out of the bar, and she picked up immediately. “Davina,” she said. “To what do I owe the pleasure? I thought you weren’t doing any business with us vampires anymore.”

“I need your other half— the witch. Just to look over a spell, really quickly if you can. I’m at the clocktower.”

“Sure. Be there soon.”

She hung up and sped off, arriving within minutes and knocking on the door. Davina opened it and beckoned her in, shutting the door behind them.

“You seem… agitated,” observed Beatrix as the younger witch rummaged through some papers. 

“I am,” she said, handing her a paper with a spell written down. “Does this make sense? I can’t tell you what it’s for— it’s better you don’t know.”

Beatrix furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over the paper. “You’ve crafted a Blocking Spell that’s really strong. Surely it will work on whatever curse you’re trying to halt.”

“Good,” she said, breathing deeply and snatching the paper back before she could look at it more deeply. “It’s the witches. They don’t respect me, and one of them humiliated me today. Marcel says I should show them who’s boss.”

“You do that, but be careful, Davina,” the Heretic said warningly. “You must remember that they were a unit far before you were born— many of them are much older and will still not be keen on letting go of the old ways when Josephine was regent. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Davina offered her a small smile. “Alright. Um, thanks. I appreciate it.”

Beatrix left promptly after that, wanting to give her privacy. She was trying to figure out what the spell was for. There was a nagging suspicion that that wasn’t the full spell— just a piece that Davina wanted checked. Any more information would have keyed Beatrix in on her real motive, which she suspected wasn’t all that good.

Needing some sort of stress relief, she went straight to St. Anne’s Church. She found Marcel in the ring with Vincent Griffith, who wasn’t doing all that well up against him.

“You two seem to be having quite a bit of fun,” mused Beatrix, listening to how out of breath they both were. “Angry fight?”

“Not as bad as how you and Elijah get,” said Vincent, wiping some sweat off his brow as he aimed another punch. Marcel blocked it, but Vincent whirled around and punched him in the face. “Did Cami tell you about the bodies? She told me she would.”

“Yes, she did,” she said, coming to lean against the cage. “Clearly, someone has some unresolved trauma.”

“You can’t still be thinking it was my guys, Vincent,” said Marcel as he dodged another punch, tripping Vincent and making him fall to the ground. 

Vincent let out a grunt as he got up. “Doesn’t matter what I think. News breaks there’s a killer loose in the Quarter, tourism is gonna drop. And who are your vampires gonna feed on then? Local? No!” He tapped Marcel lightly on the chest with his knuckles. “Not unless they want a war with the covens!”

He punched Marcel hard in the face, but Marcel didn’t stay disoriented for long. He slammed Vincent back into the chain-link fence roughly. “Speaking of covens— you remember Davina? The girl you were supposed to be mentoring?”

Vincent managed to dodge a punch for Marcel, but didn’t dodge his leg, which kicked him hard in the thigh and made him double over in pain. “I offered her my advice months ago— I told her to make peace at all costs!” he wheezed. “She refused me, alright? That girl’s got a bigger chip on her shoulder than you do!”

He swung another punch, but Marcel caught his hand and punched him in the stomach instead. “You dragged her into this!” he said hotly. “You should be helping her out. These witches keep messing with her, she’s gonna get angry. You think that’s gonna end well for anyone?”

“I think we already need to be worried, boys,” said Beatrix, going to where Vincent rested against the fence and giving him a boost up. “She’s planning some Blocking Spell. Apparently, Marcel, you told her to show them who’s boss.”

“Not in those exact terms, but yeah, something about being assertive,” he said. “She was really hurt, earlier. Ashamed, embarrassed, the works.”

Beatrix sighed. “Well, I’d be willing to step into the covens to make myself a greater target of their rage, but I feel that might go badly, because if Davina doesn’t kick me out, they’ll doubt her, and if she does, it could arouse some weird type of suspicion. This is why I never ever integrated myself into a coven. They’re not really cults but they’re very selective about in-groups and out-groups.”

Vincent snorted. “Yes, certainly, go ahead and compare the Nine Covens of New Orleans to cults…”

“Not just the witches in New Orleans. Witches everywhere. You should have seen one of the Portuguese covens I met. I swear, they worshipped each other to an almost unhealthy level. But then again, that was 1705… they’re probably not like that anymore.”

Marcel pursed his lips. “Do you think that we need to be worried about Davina?”

“I’m not sure. I need to try and brainstorm a bit, figure things out. I have to get back to my witchy business anyway, to find a way to remove the Crescent Curse on Hayley’s pack. Freya hasn’t figured it out yet and she’s been working on it since February. I suppose it’s my turn to get into that.”

Vincent furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought you and Hayley didn’t get along at all. Why would you help? Doesn’t it benefit you if she stays like that?”

Beatrix shook her head. “We may not get along, but Hope needs her mother.” She let out a loud sigh through her nostrils. “And… well… I know it would mean a lot to Elijah if I helped.”

“Are you two going to be a thing again, or something?” asked Marcel. “Because you don’t talk. Like, at all. You come in and spar then leave like nothing happened.”

“I don’t know. It’s going to take awhile for me to trust him with my feelings again. If I’m not his first choice, then I don’t want anything to do with him.”

She paused, and laced her fingers through the chains in the fence. “I don’t want to speak with him now and have to hear him say I’m his first choice at this moment. I want him to see Hayley standing near us and look me in the eyes with honesty, and tell me that he’s picking me. If not… then I don’t see why I should give him any of my affections.”


	35. Chapter 35

**She arrived back at the compound and found Klaus drinking again.**

“Lucien dropped some sort of bomb, I assume?” she said, stepping into his room. He chuckled lightly and offered her his glass of bourbon, which she took, taking a small sip before handing it back to him.

“He told me about your little one night stand,” Klaus stated. “It always strikes me as bizarre that some of you lot can never keep your mouths shut about your intimate encounters.”

She made a face. “You were the one always asking for details in my ear when we were together. Don’t pretend to be against such intimate discussions.”

He cast her a look, and raised his eyebrows. “Well, love, it’s very different when you’re crying out all the dirty things you desire from me, compared to now hearing about your wild endeavours with another man.”

“Ew, did he go into that much detail? Not my proudest moment.”

“Yes, well, I had no desire to be told exactly which window he pinned you against, but if you were overlooking the city from that penthouse, I don’t suppose one would think to object, hmm?”

She scrunched up her nose. “Lucien is quite the exhibitionist. He needs his ego to be stroked. Likes to be in control but deep down, it’s so obvious that he’s pretending he isn’t naturally submissive.”

Klaus let out a hearty chuckle. “You dirty little things. If vampires could procreate, I expect you and Lucien would have devils as children.”

“Klaus! Ew, I didn’t need that visual.”

“No one told you to imagine it, love.”

They were silent for a moment. “Why do you push her away, Klaus?” said Beatrix quietly. “Why… why do you act as though you don’t feel things for her?”

He hesitated to answer. “Do you not see me, Beatrix?” he said quietly. “Do you not see the monster that I am? You would wish this on Camille?”

“We both know you would never hurt her, Klaus. You make yourself out to be such a terrible man but we both know that there is so much good inside of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed.

She turned him to face her. “Do you see me, Klaus? You, and a lot of other people missed me so much when I was gone. Were pained to think that I was dead, and were losing your heads when I vanished these past four months. Yet, I’m a killer. More brutal than you, might I add. While you have killed way more than me, you have done it mostly to protect your family, and you have never been excessively violent with anyone postmortem.

“You remember what I did when I turned off my humanity? And even before when I killed others? I was remorseless. I tore bodies apart for absolutely no reason. Completely innocent souls whose only mistake was having been there at that particular time of day when I caught them and chose to make them a victim. I know that perhaps, you think it doesn’t make sense for us to be compared. But to me it does because all of you treat me with more respect than I deserve.”

She put her hands on his face, pulling him into a memory.

_“You’re going to be the death of me, Beatrix,” huffed Klaus as he chased after her, out in the grassy fields in 1832._

_“Aw, poppycock!” she cried. “I’m not made of white oak!”_

_He rolled his eyes. “Very funny.” He caught her by the waist and pulled her toward him, his arms around her as he rested his chin on her shoulder, her back against his chest, the both of them facing toward the nearby woods, where they could see a doe with a baby deer at her heels._

_“Little ones are so precious,” mused Klaus in her ear. “They have this… this light about them. I don’t really know how to explain it.” His cheeks turned rather pink. “If you ever tell anyone I said that, I will smite you.”_

_She giggled and put her hands over his. “Don’t be ridiculous, why would I tell someone that? You don’t have to hide your soft side from me, Klaus. You know that I don’t judge you for it.”_

_She turned to face him. “You are free to be whoever you want to be around me. Don’t hide behind a facade of violence.”_

_He tucked his hand under her chin. “You have a light about you, too,” he murmured. “I look back on the day that I turned you and I… have absolutely no regrets. I only wish that I’d found you sooner, love.”_

She released his face. “You aren’t inherently a bad person, Klaus, please know that,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “You were raised in a terrible situation. But these months that I’ve gotten to see you with Hope… you’ve been a much better parent than yours ever were. Do you have flaws? Yes. But doesn’t everyone? You can improve on them. And I want to be with you every step of the way.”

Klaus looked down at her, but closed his eyes before speaking. “Did you truly love me, Beatrix?” he asked softly. “Am I really… lovable?”

“Yes, I did, silly,” she breathed. “I swear to you, that I did. And I hate how things ended. So I will tell you this now— don’t waste your chance with Cami. I believe she… she might be your epic love. I think that this is really the one that will be good for you.”

Klaus had been her first love. The romance that she’d gone into a bit blindly, unsure of how a proper relationship worked. She was young and naive, and had fallen for him after parenting alongside him. She would never forget the way he made her feel, the things he taught her about the world, and how beautiful it could be. Though he was not the easiest person to love, their relationship flowed like the water of the bayou, elegantly and without limits. It was almost the picture-perfect type of love that Beatrix was sure had been true, were it not for how they’d come apart.

Though they were no longer infatuated with each other, that love remained in the form of their friendship, a tight knit bond that neither could deny. Though neither would consider the other their best friend, they sort of were that, and understood each other well enough. They would never cease caring about the other, and would always back the other up, not even just because of their link as sire and sireling. They were family. 

If she thought about it in more depth, she knew Elijah was her second love. Where she learned the hard lessons of life and what she wanted. It had never just been smooth, there had been a flow to it but with bumps along the way that tested both of them, but had brought them together with more passion each time. It wasn’t unbalanced enough to cause pure pain and have it end badly, but despite how special it had been, there was much to be improved on if they were to get together again. But Beatrix wanted to believe that if things were to work out, it was because it was meant to be. She had thought briefly, once before, that Elijah was her soulmate. She wondered if that could be true.

Kai was her third love. The one she really hadn’t expected, based on how they had started. But he’d crept up on her and they’d meshed together so naturally that everything made sense. It was like a puzzle with a million pieces finding its shape at last, eventually being completed to form the perfect image of what love should be. Had it not been for their agenda, and their dark natures apiece, Beatrix was sure that it was the kind of love that would have lasted, and it pained her to think of how Kai was torn away from her. She would forever be thankful of what she learned about herself and about such affection from him, and it would always bring a smile to her face to think back on their time together, as brief as it was, in the grand scheme of things. Though Kai was not her soulmate, he had certainly been magnificent, and quite close to epic.

The hybrid across from her gulped. It was difficult for him, of course, to admit such feelings for Cami. To forget his insecurities and see himself in a better light. He didn’t think it was possible to be good, and he constantly doubted the fact that Beatrix had ever seen something in him, because it was unfathomable to consider that a creature like her could have ever fallen for someone like him. But it seemed, at long last, he had finally, _finally_ understood fully that what they'd had, had in fact been real. 

But he didn’t get to answer. He tensed and turned to the doorway as Elijah came in with a very angry looking and human Jackson. “I thought I smelled swamp,” said Klaus cheekily.

“What did you do with Hayley?” Jackson demanded.

“Tell me what you know,” said Elijah immediately after.

Klaus’s expression became coy. “Has Jackson misplaced his bride? COme to think about it, I did read that global warming has affected migration patterns. Try Georgia!”

“I just left the bodies of people I care about to _rot_ in the woods because _you_ left them defenseless against poachers!” snarled Jackson. “Like Kingmaker Land Development— does that ring a bell? Yeah,” he said when he saw Klaus’s smile fall, “the CEO is Lucien Castle. Elijah tells me you two go way back.”

Beatrix and Klaus shared a look as Elijah stepped forward, glaring at his brother. “So, I will ask you again— what do you know?”

“As it happens, I just came back from a romp with our good friend Lucien,” said Klaus sharply. “You can find him in a penthouse of the gaudy new construction on Canal. Take Beatrix with you, she knows every detail of the place. And while you two are catching up, be sure to ask him about the prophetic vision he showed me of our family’s spectacular downfall. You could use a good laugh.”

Elijah cast Beatrix a side glance before pointing at Jackson. “You stay here. The three of us will deal with this.”

“Actually,” said Klaus, “as long as Hayley's prowling about on two legs and unaccounted for, I'm staying with my daughter.” He stepped up into Jackson’s face. “And, should I discover that this is yet another cock-eyed scheme for Hayley and you to abscond with her, the paltry remains of your beloved wolf pack will be sniffing at your entrails come morning.”

“Klaus,” said Beatrix sharply, tugging him back. “Don’t.”

Klaus turned to walk away, but Elijah sped in front of him, blocking his way. “This doesn’t frighten you, brother,” he said coldly. “But, one day, your daughter will know _exactly_ the kind of man that her father is. If anything should happen to Hayley, you mark my words— _no one_ will have to take Hope from you. She will, without question, leave you of her own accord.”

Beatrix winced visibly. Well, there went her efforts in trying to influence Klaus to see himself in a more positive light so he could try and be better. Elijah turned to her. “Now, Beatrix, are you going to lead me to this venue that you apparently know every detail of?”

She nodded. “Yes, come on, this way.”

Elijah gripped onto Jackson as the three sped away. They arrived at the building not long after, and they went in, making their way to the elevator. “How is it that you know Lucien?” inquired Elijah curiously.

Beatrix felt her face turn red. “One night stand when my humanity was off. Saw him earlier and it was awkward. But for the record, I don’t think Klaus had anything to do with Hayley going missing. I was with him earlier.”

“You’re sure?” said Jackson, like he wanted to believe her but had too much doubt when it came to Klaus.

“Yes, I’m sure. He was having his art show and he left with Lucien. Lucien’s been here since September. He’s been doing all this on his own. I had no idea… I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” murmured the Alpha as the elevator opened on the top floor. They went down the hall and Beatrix held her hand up. “It’s around the corner over there. Wait here, Jackson, he doesn’t know you yet.”

The wolf nodded, and Beatrix and Elijah strode up to the door, ringing the doorbell. There was a brief moment of wait before Lucien threw open the door. “Elijah! What a glorious pleasure,” he said. “And Beatrix, again— twice in one night. It must be fate.”

Elijah gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I do apologize for the late hour.”

“Oh, it’s no matter!” said Lucien. “I’ve long been nostalgic for the days when vampires conducted business in the dark.”

Both Elijah and Beatrix moved to step into the apartment. Beatrix passed through smoothly, and Lucien smirked at her, but Elijah thumped into an invisible sort of force. 

“It’s a boundary spell,” said Lucien. “No vampire from another sireline can enter without an invitation. Given the circumstances, you know.” He then turned to Beatrix. “And unfortunately, darling, I’ve had it made so that the spell can’t be siphoned away.”

Elijah gritted his teeth audibly. “Lucien, we didn't come here to chin-wag. Your little corporation has been butchering wolves in the Bayou Lafourche!”

Lucien shrugged. “It's _population control_. There's viable land out there-- viable, that is, once the sudden influx of mangy wildlife has been eliminated.”

“Do you mean the Crescent Pack?” Beatrix scoffed. “Because Hayley Kenner, one of the Alphas, is missing, and we intend to find her.”

Lucien narrowed his eyes. “The hybrid Nik knocked up? Well, I’m surprised by your concern, Elijah. When your family left her to prowl the woods all these months, I just figured the tramp was _persona non grata_ — fair game.”

Elijah sped back to a nearby table at the end of the hall and broke off one of the legs, throwing it so fast that it lodged into Lucien’s neck before he could react. He started to pull it out, but Beatrix flicked her wrist, shoving the wood deeper into his throat.

There was a furious yell, and Jackson came running through the barrier, tackling Lucien to the ground and biting him hard in the arm, making the vampire let out a pained yell as he choked. Jackson stood over him, golden eyes blazing and fangs out. “Now, they asked you what your hunters did with my wife. Answers. Now.” 

Beatrix released the spell, sending the wooden leg flying out of Lucien’s throat and allowing Lucien to jump up, hissing as he looked down at his arm. “I’ll have them inspect the roadkill in the morning,” he said bitterly. 

“We’ll get the answers out of you somehow, Lucien,” said Beatrix with a low growl. “I don’t mind being a torturer.” She turned to Jackson. “You should probably head back to the compound… you don’t have much time.”

Hesitantly, Jackson listened, and Elijah leaned onto the wall beside him, glaring in at Lucien. “My darling Lucien, I’m quite happy to stand here and watch you die. Or, you could invite me in. Even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll fare far worse with Beatrix inside with you. I must add, also, that even if she cannot siphon away this spell, she will probably easily take it down without need for that. The choice is yours.”

Lucien, of course, chose to just concede and invite Elijah in. 

He moved to the side and picked up a towel, pressing it over his bite as Elijah strode in, looking smug. Lucien brought out his phone and sent a quick message before looking back up. “My contacts will get back to me if they have any information about a wolf matching your description.”

He sat down on his couch and began to pour himself some scotch. Elijah’s eyes flickered toward the towel. “You’re going to need Niklaus' blood for that wound, just FYI. I'm sure he'll respond favorably once the mother of his child has been recovered.” He looked over at a very still but alive woman seated in a chair, which hadn’t been noticeable before.

“Oh, feel free to have a drink,” offered Lucien as Elijah brushed a lock of hair off her neck. “She’s not dead… just mouthy. I compelled her quiet.”

Beatrix made a face and waved her hand, letting the poor girl fall asleep and replenish herself. 

“You can spare us the counterfeit camaraderie,” said Elijah as he leaned onto the chair. “So, Lucien, you say you’re in conflict with those of my sireline. Am I to assume that the Lord Tristan de Martel is up to his usual tricks?”

Lucien took a large gulp of his drink. “This is no quarrel, Elijah! We are on the brink of war! Tristan knows that if he kills Klaus, he will eliminate all his enemies.”

“And by that logic, am I to assume that I am your ultimate target?” inquired Elijah.

Lucien scoffed. “If I kill you, then I trade all of the money, the women, the jets, for an eternity on the run from Nik and Rebekah.”

Elijah offered him a polite but bland smile. “Leave the city. No one needs your protection. The white oak is destroyed. We _cannot_ be killed.” He sat down across from Lucien on his coffee table and plucked the glass of scotch from his hand.

“You’re wrong,” said Lucien impatiently. “Talk to Nik. He's seen the prophecy. Visions of _darkness_ surround your family. You are _not_ immune to death, Elijah.” He took notice of Elijah’s silence. “You don’t seem particularly fazed—”

“Well, I’m no stranger to death, young Lucien,” said Elijah simply. “Or third-rate prophecies, for that matter.” He handed him back his glass of scotch.

“Or maybe immortality has finally soured you,” mused Lucien, the two men standing and glaring at each other. “After all, you’ve abandoned your eternal efforts to save Nik's soul. What's left for the legendary Elijah Mikaelson if not that singular motivation?”

Elijah cast him a look, but said nothing, and just beckoned for Beatrix to follow him out. 

“My door’s always open for you, Beatrix,” called Lucien. “You may be Klaus’s old flame, but—”

Elijah sped back in and grasped him by the scruff of his neck, glaring daggers at him. “You leave her alone,” he sneered. “Don’t embed yourself into matters you do not belong in.”

He released him, and Beatrix awkwardly shuffled behind him, and closed the door.

“What was that about?” she murmured once they were in the elevator.

“He is bad news, Beatrix,” said Elijah. “You should not trust him. I suspect you don’t, which I believe you should continue to do. He is up to something, and it’s not at all good. I believe he still remains infatuated with Aurora, Rebekah’s first sireling.”

“The Aurora that was Klaus’s lover?” she inquired, leaning and letting her fingers graze over the buttons on the elevator. “Isn’t she the loony one?”

“That would be the one. I suspect this conflict will only get worse.”

“Lucien downplayed it when he was speaking to me earlier. He made it seem like just a small bit of tension.”

Elijah looked fixedly at her. “And where, might I ask, do you stand?”

“Are you crazy? I don’t stand anywhere. I’m not going to choose one of you over the other. Klaus is my sire, but…” She hesitated. 

“But what?” he asked quietly.

“You and Rebekah are my friends, is all,” she said quickly. “I don’t want this to become a problem, it needn’t be an issue. I’m not taking sides. I will never abandon Klaus, but that doesn’t mean I’d stab the rest of you in the back. I wasn’t around when Finn and Kol were killed and their sirelines were wiped, but I can imagine how much competition is brewing, and that sort of conflict tied in with whatever this bloody prophecy is… it’s bad news. I don’t want it to escalate, therefore I don’t intend to contribute to any ‘sides’ there may be.”

She cleared her throat, changing the topic before Elijah could answer. “Anyway, er— I could have siphoned Lucien’s wound. I learned quite recently that it’s possible to cure someone of a werewolf bite as long as I siphon it.”

“That’ll be useful for future reference,” said Elijah calmly, though it was clear that he hadn’t been intent on shifting the conversation.

They didn’t speak the rest of the way down in the elevator, and when they got out, they both chose to walk the entire way back to the Mikaelson compound, side by side without any conversation. By then, it was already morning, but neither showed signs of wanting to sleep.

They likely wouldn’t get any sleep anytime soon, because when they arrived, they found Hayley and Klaus brawling on the highest balcony.


	36. Chapter 36

**Hayley was covered in blood and screaming at the top of her lungs.**

“My parents left me!” she screamed, hitting Klaus hard in the chest and shoving him back, though he wasn’t actually fighting back anymore. “Yours turned their backs on you! Look at us now, Klaus!” She let out a rageful cry as Elijah and Beatrix jumped into the courtyard beside Freya and Jackson. 

“Niklaus!” called Elijah loudly. 

“She deserves something better than what we had!” Hayley screamed as she kept hitting him. “And all I ever wanted fo her is something better! Fight back! FIGHT BACK!”

But Klaus wasn’t about to do that. There was a forlorn look in his eyes that Beatrix recognized as regret. He was silent as he looked toward what was behind Hayley— Hope, toddling out and cooing slightly up at her mother.

“Oh,” Hayley said softly, her mouth open in shock. She brought her hand up to cover it, then slid her palm to her chest, looking overwhelmed. “She’s walking. When did she start walking?”

She moved forward and picked the baby up gently, and starting to cry as she rubbed her back slowly. “I missed it,” she whispered. “I missed everything…”

She began to walk to the stairs, clutching her daughter close and kissing her head gently as she came down. The others were not about to ruin the moment, therefore they remained completely silent until Hayley made it to ground level.

“What happened?” asked Jackson as he approached them. “Is the curse broken?”

Hayley let out a quiet sigh. “I’ll explain later. We’re safe… for now.”

“Good for you,” said Klaus, having come down as well. “I’ll have your bedroom made up.”

Hayley glared at him. “The only way that I will stay under your roof is if I’m in a coffin.”

Klaus gritted his teeth. “If you think I will allow Hope out of my protection for a second—”

“What you’ll allow doesn’t matter, Klaus,” she sneered. “Welcome to a 21st century custody battle. Moms win them now. Beatrix may have allowed you to act like this with Marcel, but I will not let you do this with Hope.”

The Heretic made a face, clearly not happy to be included in this in such a manner, but Elijah intervened quickly.

“If I may?” he asked. “The apartments across the street have recently been renovated. I might pay a visit to the management. The fact that Hope will never be out of earshot should assuage your incessant paranoia.”

Jackson scoffed. “Because everyone here is _so_ civilized?” He looked at Freya and Beatrix. “Sorry, no offense to you two.”

“Brother, you created the problem,” chided Elijah. “This might well be the solution.”

Hayley nodded gratefully before Klaus could respond. “Put the place in Jackson’s name. Klaus won’t be invited in.” She turned on her heel and Jackson followed her out. Elijah followed behind, and then Freya.

Beatrix looked over at him and crossed his arms. “You could apologize, you know,” she said. “I know that you are sorry. I can see that you feel ashamed.”

“I will not apologize,” said Klaus sharply. “I did what I had to do.”

She frowned, and sighed, putting her hands on his shoulders. “It’ll mean a lot to her if you actually try and show her your remorse. You don’t want to lose your daughter, do you?”

“Of course not. That’s a ridiculous question.”

“You can’t base yourself off of how we raised Marcel. It was different. Times were not what they are now. He was already ten when he came to live here. He was a boy, and there weren’t many enemies out to get you. Things were better. Please… just try and work with Hayley. You worked so well with me, and it was a good thing for Marcel to have. Hope deserves for her parents to at least be on civil speaking terms.”

She went upstairs when he didn’t reply. 

She went to her room only briefly to kick off her shoes, before going into Hope’s room and seeing she was with Jackson. She could hear the shower running, presumably for Hayley.

“Hi,” said Beatrix gently as she came over to peek at Hope, who was very enthusiastically showing Jackson some of her toys.

“Hey,” he replied quietly. He glanced up at her. “He’s sorry, isn’t he? He just won’t say it.”

“He’s not the kind that apologizes so blatantly,” she sighed. “He tries to make up for it in different ways. He knows what he did was wrong. And I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to end this curse sooner.”

“Not your fault,” he said. “Elijah told me what happened when I saw him in the woods and we were looking for Hayley. It sounded terrible. My condolences, seriously. I don’t know how you’re still here. I would have dropped everything and everyone and left to like… Bali or something to be alone.”

Beatrix offered him a smile and looked down at Hope. “I wanted to stay. For her.”

“She’s a precious little thing,” he chuckled quietly. “Listen… I know I’m not Hope’s dad but I really do want you to be a part of her life, even if you and Hayley aren’t on the best terms. I think you’re a good influence for her to have. You keep Klaus in check, and he needs you if he intends to be a bigger part of Hope’s life.”

She patted his back. “Thanks, Jackson. I appreciate it.” Her ears perked up hearing the water turn off in the nearby bathroom. “I think I should go talk to Hayley. I’ll see you around, alright?”

“Sure, thanks,” he said, smiling as she left.

She found Hayley dressed and packing a duffel bag in her old room. 

“Hey,” Beatrix said quietly. “I was wondering if you needed help with moving stuff. I’ve gotten quite good at moving spells.”

Hayley turned around and the Heretic realized this had been a mistake. Beatrix was the last person she wanted to see right now. “We don’t need your help,” she said coldly, looking shaken. Beatrix had a nagging feeling that her anger wasn’t just stemming from Klaus. “Is there some creepy thing going on between you and Klaus? Why are you so insistent on remaining behind to comfort him every damn time he does something terrible?”

Beatrix blinked. “I wasn’t condoning his behavior, Hayley. If you’d listened, you’d know that.” 

“You have the power to remove this curse, don’t you?” she snapped. “And you didn’t. There is no way that I believe that Davina was able to do it and you weren’t. Freya, I give a pass to because she was forced to sleep one hundred years repetitively throughout time. But you?”

“So that’s what Davina wanted checked,” said Beatrix aloud, leaning into the doorframe. “Hayley, I don’t expect you to believe me, but I have been trying.”

“How hard did you try?” she spit. “Not hard enough, considering you always take Klaus’s side! Did he put you up to it? To pretend to help Freya, or something.”

“For your information, I wasn’t here for four months, so I didn’t exactly get to work with her at all,” she snapped.

Hayley just scoffed, too overwhelmed to try and see reason. “You know what— I don’t even care to ask what you were doing. I just won’t invite you in either— I don’t want you to be in Hope’s life. You’re excusing her father’s terrible behavior to follow your own agenda.”

That was it. “You don’t get to act like this with me when I came to help you,” Beatrix said loudly, her fists balling up. “You have no idea what I’ve been through these last months, and even so, my priority was your daughter!”

“I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter!” Hayley screamed. 

Elijah came from behind Beatrix and stepped into the room, between them. “Let’s not do this,” he said sternly. “After all, Hope is in the next room.” He held up a set of keys and handed them to Hayley. “All arranged.” He turned to Beatrix. “Please, go rest. You haven’t yet slept, and you look exhausted.”

“I’m not exhausted, I’m bloody furious!” she snapped. “Tell this bloody wolf—”

Hayley lunged forward but Elijah kept her from launching at Beatrix, who just huffed and stormed out of the room, though she could still hear the conversation taking place behind.

“None of this is Beatrix’s fault,” Elijah was saying. “Do not take it out on her.”

“She always sides with Klaus and it’s—”

He must have held his hand up to silence her. “He is her sire, and they are quite close, therefore, I understand how you have mistaken this as her supporting him. If you must know, it is Beatrix who has many times in the past and even now, gotten my brother to comport himself in a better manner. She chastises him amidst affection so that he will learn and understand his mistakes properly. She has never been like the rest of us, just snapping back at him. She approaches him gently, but do not think that she is allowing him to behave this way.”

“Where the hell was she, then?” Hayley demanded. “She— I know she knows more magic than most of the stupid witches here— where was she and why didn’t she do anything?”

There was a pause before Elijah spoke. “She was imprisoned, Hayley,” he said in a hard voice. “She was trapped once more in a prison world, and when she got out, she lost the man that she loved in the most brutal manner imaginable. She turned her humanity off because the pain was far too great to bear with, and she’s only just recovering. 

“I have never seen her so hurt, not even when she and Klaus’s relationship ended. Even now I am afraid she will never truly recover. Her mind attacks her when she’s in such pain. This loss took a toll on her, and yet, her priority has been your daughter. She has been caring for Hope and the rest of us, and she has been working on breaking the curse ever since she felt better. You know why? Because she knows what it would mean for Hope. She knows that your daughter deserves her mother. And even despite the animosity that exists between you both because of me, she made her primary goal to reunite you. She has been lecturing and talking with Niklaus to make him be better.”

There was silence, and Beatrix just barely heard Hayley’s breath hitch.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Oh God… Elijah… I feel terrible. I didn’t know… I didn’t bother to ask…”

“And now you know,” responded Elijah. “There are many things about Niklaus and Beatrix’s dynamic that I still do not understand, but I promise you this— that woman will never let him hurt your daughter, and she will fight to make him be better. I have never seen Klaus listen to someone as much as he does to her. She is not you enemy or your competition, Hayley. She can be your family.”

Beatrix stopped listening there. 

She found Klaus in the evening later, with a drink in his hand, looking wistfully out the window at the apartment across the way, where the image of Hayley and Jackson embracing was on full display. 

“I suppose you’ve come to share my furious sentiments?” inquired Klaus as he heard her come in. “After that conversation you had earlier with Hayley.”

She shrugged and came to lean on him as he turned away from the window. “I don’t wish to fight with her, Klaus. Really, I don’t.”

“She has many a reason to despise you,” he muttered as he put his arms around her. “You were her competitor for Elijah’s affections and it drove him to choose neither of you. And now, you are most loyal to the person she hates the most. She sees you fitting into this family without a hitch. Though, she does not know much of the history that’s led to that point.”

Beatrix shrugged and let her head rest into his chest. He rubbed her back, and let out a sigh. “I do not understand how it is you have it in you to keep attempting to be kind to her even now. I envy you for that.”

“I suppose I want to be the better person. I hated who I was when my humanity was off, and I want to show that I am not a terrible being. I want to be in Hope’s life, I really do.”

The next day, at least, proved to feel somewhat better. Beatrix spent the day with Freya, babysitting Hope since apparently, Hayley was feeling on edge and Jackson was taking her out to get the stress out.

Klaus and Elijah had spent the day trying to figure out what Lucien was doing in New Orleans to begin with, and digging into information that could lead to a more accurate prophecy than whatever Lucien’s psychic was flaunting about.

On the morning of Halloween, Freya and Beatrix had tried to do some yoga, as Freya insisted there was far too much negative energy. She insisted it would be good for Beatrix to try, even though the Heretic was nowhere near flexible enough or patient enough. She, at least, did her best to follow along and mimic Freya’s movements. 

“I’m surprised to see you both here,” said Klaus’s loud voice as he walked in just as they stood up.

“We live here,” said Freya blankly.

“Well, Freya, I just hadn't realized you were back from wherever it is you go to when you leave! Perhaps I was thrown off by the lack of strange gentleman callers perusing the contents of my refrigerator this morning,” he said with a cheeky grin. “As for Beatrix, I never would have expected to find her here cooped up with you.”

“Your concern for our whereabouts is touching,” said Beatrix as she tried to stretch her arms the way Freya was doing, her tank top riding up slightly. Freya was confident enough to be in only a sports bra and yoga pants, but Beatrix didn’t want to show off her tummy. 

Klaus poked at her now exposed belly and made her drop her arms. “I simply want to know who is here at any given moment! I hardly think that's too much to ask.”

Footsteps, and within seconds, Hayley and Elijah were joining them in the room. Well, as long as we’re taking attendance,” mused Hayley as if she was trying to be funny. 

“Oh, good!” said Klaus mockingly. “It's my not-so-loving older brother and my former one-night-stand! What a nice, normal family gathering.”

“Charming,” answered Hayley. “Elijah was just catching me up on how you have no clue which one of your long-lost buddies you can trust and which one is trying to _kill_ you.”

Klaus cast Elijah a look. “I assume you told her about the bloody prophecy?”

Elijah cast back a wry grin. “I was just getting to that.”

“Now would be good,” said Hayley sharply. 

Klaus rolled his eyes. “Well, it appears my old mate Lucien has acquired a genuine seer, and in an effort to prove his good intentions, he got her to show us some rather _dire_ visions of future doom. It's grim stuff, really— not for the faint of heart.”

“Who’s doom are we talking about, here?” said Hayley. “Because if it's yours, I think we're all okay with that.”

Klaus let out a chuckle. “Well, sadly, we're all on the chopping block. But, chin up! This witch claims her visions are constantly evolving. So, you may just get your wish!”

Hayley smiled. “Well, I want to meet this psychic witch. Tonight.”

“And what might tonight be?” said Beatrix, crossing her arms.

Elijah hesitated. “The Strix, as you may recall, are throwing a gala.”

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. “They’re still at it? I thought the Strix were long gone by now.”

“Oh, come now, Beatrix, the only reason you’re not in the know is because you’re from my sireline,” said Klaus, amused. He looked over at Hayley. “Once, long ago, when Elijah and Beatrix were together, the Strix Coven tried to reel her in as a witch, because of her power. She said no, obviously and they… were not too happy. How many did you kill that night, love?”

Beatrix took a second to count. “About forty of them that were nearly three times my age, ten that were twice, and twenty others who were a bit older and younger, give or take a decade. I think the total was up to seventy?”

“All with one spell,” mused Elijah. “Yes, I remember that. You were asleep for a week after that but by God were you pleased with yourself.” His expression then became serious. “Not a good idea for you to make yourself known there.”

“Well I wasn’t invited,” said the Heretic. “I don’t assume I would even be allowed in.” She looked at Hayley. “They sent you an invitation?”

Hayley hesitated to answer, looking a bit mortified to be addressed so directly by Beatrix after what had happened the other day. They hadn’t yet spoken privately about it. “Um… no, they didn’t. I was just… thinking I would be Elijah’s plus one.”

There was silence. 

“Fine by me,” said Klaus loudly when he saw the look on Beatrix’s face. “I need my little witch here to help me smooth things over with Lucien a tad. After all, he is rather infatuated with her, from what I can see.”

“He is not infatuated with me,” she said quickly, her cheeks red.

“Yes he is,” he said, tugging her arm. “Now get out of those ridiculous clothes, we’re going to Rousseau’s.”

She dashed out of the room quickly to get ready.

She went to take a bath first. Her body was shaking and she wasn’t sure why. Was it jealousy? Was it shock that Hayley was being civil to her? Was it worry because the Strix were back in the neighborhood? She wasn’t sure, but he needed to drown in bubbles.

“You waste water like it’s free.”

She looked back over her shoulder at Klaus, and rolled her eyes. “It is free as long as you let me stay here. But of course, if you want to charge me rent, I’m more than willing to pay.”

“Don’t be absurd, I’d never charge you for living under my roof when you’ve been such a diligent aunt to my daughter,” he said, coming to lean onto the wall opposite her. Beatrix was thankful for the bubbles that covered her from his view.

“Hayley would like to speak with you, I believe,” said the hybrid as he looked over at her sink counter, picking up the random makeup utensils she needed. He held up her eyelash curler and scrunched up his nose. “She was lingering in the room as if she had regretted not saying something to you.”

“Well, if she wants to talk, she can seek me out and be upfront about it.” 

“She knows she had no right to snap at you. I believe perhaps she may be wanting to apologize. No doubt her husband convinced her to. He seems fond of you.”

“Ew, no! Jackson loved her before he knew her. He and I just related to each other quite a bit. We’re friends, if anything, but he is not fond of me.”

“Alright, then. But Lucien is certainly—”

“No, he isn’t. I don’t trust him either way. He’s good looking but he’s narcissistic. Plus, wasn’t it a whole issue the other day that they thought him to be that killer that Cami was investigating?”

Klaus chuckled. “Yes, I suppose you could do better than him. I recall Tristan had an eye for you, years ago.”

“He may have had an eye but he certainly doesn’t like me after what I did. Plus, I was with Elijah during that time, so he had no chance. Still doesn’t. Even if he publicly pardoned me for the mass murder of Strix members, I wouldn’t go for him. He was the one that tried to get them to force me into the Coven because they saw me as an asset. He didn’t understand that I don’t do covens. Not in any bloody way. Especially not that coven. They’re terrible.”

“You would not reconsider being part of it, now?” he inquired curiously.

She made a face. “I want nothing to do with the Strix Coven. I know their techniques by memory, dangerous as they are. I don’t need to be a part of it to know that they only take. They promised so much that didn’t make sense in my mind. They just want power. Besides, I don’t want to take sides in anything.”

Klaus chuckled. “Oh, I understand that. Certainly. You side with me, you could get hurt. You side with Elijah, you could get hurt. Not a good outlook for your future prospects. Speaking of which, do you ever intend to reconnect with my brother? I can see the yearning look in his eyes for you. But he is holding back after recent mishaps.”

She snorted. “I don’t know, Klaus. It’s still too complicated. Why? Do you want me to get back with him or something? Think it’ll make him listen to you more because I’ll coax him into it?”

“Not at all, little witch,” he said, coming over and ruffling her damp hair. “I would prefer you remain available as long as possible. I think it’d be rather fun to watch him fight and beg for your affections.”

“So your source of entertainment is going to be watching Elijah try to get me back?”

“Why not?” he said. “After all, as long as you’re available, you’re less vulnerable. You haven’t the ties that weaken a person.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Do you know something that I don’t?”

His expression was serious. “No. But I implore you… for your safety. If you were to attach yourself to him in the near future before this is resolved, I fear you will be dragged into conflict with the Strix. Last time, you were nearly killed, all because they craved you due to your undying loyalty to Elijah. I will not let such a thing happen again. My family always drags you into terrible things and I’ll be damned if I allow my brother to indirectly put you in harm’s way.”

He sped away to not hear her answer.


	37. Chapter 37

**In the evening, Beatrix and Klaus made their way to Rousseau’s.**

A Halloween party was already in full swing, with humans in costumes everywhere. Klaus yanked Beatrix through the bar until they found Lucien seated at a booth. He had three woman with him— one dressed as a cat, one as a nurse, and another as a skeleton bride (all sexy, of course).

“There’s my old friend,” said Klaus loudly as Lucien sank his fangs into the girl beside him. He looked up enthusiastically, some blood running down his chin. “Nik!”

“Hard at work ensuring my safety, I see,” he said. 

Lucien nodded his head with a goofy grin, and Beatrix realized he was drunk. He beckoned them over. “By all means, join us! Even though you’re not in costume…”

“Business before pleasure,” said Klaus pointedly as the woman dressed as a nurse looked him up and down.

“Ah,” said Lucien in understanding. “Excuse me, ladies.”

The three left without objection, and Beatrix slid down into the booth. Klaus paused, however, as he noticed that a rather burly man was remaining rooted at the spot beside the booth, as if supervising.

“Aha!” said Lucien. “I see you’ve noticed Gregory. Former Navy SEAL. I turned him personally to head my security team.”

“Surely a vampire as ancient as yourself doesn’t need a security _team_ ,” said Beatrix with distaste, glancing up at Gregory.

“Not all of us are as gifted with witchcraft as you, darling,” said Lucien as he leaned back in his seat. “By the way, I was doing some research— now I recall where exactly I heard of you. You’re the one that the Strix can’t stand.”

She shrugged. “I get that a lot. Surely someone with extensive resources like yourself can understand that. I expect you’ve made many an enemy just with what you own.”

He giggled drunkenly. “And you don’t even know the half of it.” He put his arm around Klaus as the two got their drinks. “You see, Nik, I have spent _several_ lifetimes building a company devoted to shattering the very limits of what is possible. I have some of the most brilliant minds in the world developing technologies that you couldn't imagine.”

“With Alexis as your crowning achievement, no doubt,” said Klaus, clinking his shot glass together with Beatrix’s before they both drank. “The single cure to the most terrifying threat of all— the unknown. Speaking of which… Perhaps we should go pay your seer another visit? See if anything has snapped into focus in regards to that mysterious threat against us. That way, Beatrix can bear witness herself and… double-check things, if you will.”

Noticing the slightly uncomfortable look on Lucien’s face, Klaus grinned devilishly. “If, that is, you’re prepared to share your resources.”

Lucien held up another shot of tequila and nodded slowly. “Of course! Her visions are our greatest chance for survival. I only regret I didn’t suggest it myself…”

“Perfect,” said Beatrix, not drinking her second shot. She stood and brushed down her skirt. “Shall we go, then? And preferably in a car, assuming you have one, pretty boy.”

Lucien stood, and offered her his arm. “Of course, darling. Assuming Nik wouldn’t mind. It’s a bit of a… tight fit.”

“So, I sit on your lap then,” said Beatrix nonchalantly. “After all, we’ve got no secrets between the three of us, so there’s no reason we can’t get cozy.”

The shy look on his face just confirmed Beatrix and Klaus’s initial suspicions. Lucien was hiding something but he was playing it off as casually as he could.

And thus, the entire ride to his penthouse, Beatrix sat very comfortably on his lap. She had the urge to tilt her hips and dig the side of her pelvis into his side to make him uncomfortable, but she refrained from it. 

“Very nice car you have here,” she said, putting her legs up onto Klaus’s lap and wiggling onto Lucien’s as Gregory drove. She let her head lean back against the window.

“What did you give her, Nik?” said Lucien teasingly. “She’s all… touchy.”

Klaus smirked. “Oh, nothing at all. Beatrix is just very excited to meet Alexis. After all, witchy minds mesh well, don’t they.”

“Of course,” said Lucien.

They arrived at the penthouse, and Lucien wasted no time in calling out for his psychic. “Alexis! Alexis!”

But no response. The television was blaring inside Lucien’s bedroom, and the three went in, seeing the bed unmade, with the sheets all tangled in the center. Some pieces of furniture were overturned, and a spell was left half done on the nearby table.

“You two certainly get frisky in here,” said Klaus teasingly, nudging Beatrix. “Was he like this with you?”

“Can we not bring that up right now,” she said, casting him a look.

He chuckled and looked at Lucien. “Perhaps you should place your special lady friend on a shorter leash?”

“You don’t understand,” said Lucien, sounding worried. “Alexis doesn’t go outside unless she has to. She’s too sensitive. If she’s gone, then someone took her.”

He whipped out his phone and dialed a number, raising it to his ear. “Hello,” he said. “Yes. Alexis is missing. Find her. I— no! I don’t want your excuses! I simply want her found! Do you understand?”

Klaus seemed to be having the time of his life. “All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't find _one_ prognosticating witch. But ah, well, it takes one to find one, I always say.” He looked at Beatrix expectantly.

“Sure,” she said, smiling fakely. “I’ll be very glad to do a locator spell.”

Within seconds, Lucien had everything prepared for her. He brought her candles and a map, and Klaus brought over a hairbrush he found on Alexis’s vanity.

“Nice and easy,” said Beatrix, humming and lighting the candles.

“Your brother must have told Tristan about the prophecy,” said Lucien worriedly as Beatrix began to cast the spell. “If that sadistic bastard so much as touches a hair on her head…”

Klaus let out an annoyed sigh. “Yes, the witch's hair isn't what has me worried. Frankly, your girl seems a bit wanton when it comes to handing out visions.”

“Alexis would not share her gifts with him,” said Lucien, sounding offended as Beatrix waved her hands over the map. “That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t torture it out of her…”

He looked down as a circle of sand appeared on the map.

“Ah, the Davilla Estate,” he said. “Brilliant. Isn’t that where—?”

“Our old friend Tristan lured Elijah just the other night,” finished Klaus. “It seems your fears are warranted.”

“Granted, we are the two most cunning, powerful, and handsome vampires of all time,” said Lucien, trying to be optimistic. “But that still leaves us a bit outnumbered. How do you propose we fight our way into an entire secret society of ancient vampires?”

“I’m literally right here,” said Beatrix, waving her hand. “Plus, I think Freya might be free and in the mood for some excitement.”

Klaus’s lips curled into a smile. “Perfect. Tell her to come here— I have a plan for us.”

Within minutes, Beatrix had gotten Freya on board with it, and soon, she was knocking at the penthouse door.

“Please, do come in,” said Lucien cheerfully as he went to open the door for Freya.

“Ugh, this place smells like dried blood and bad cologne,” she said, scrunching her nose up. 

“That’s just my natural musk,” said Lucien. “I find the ladies love it.”

“Not for more than one night they don’t,” said Beatrix under her breath, but given that Lucien was a vampire, he heard it, though he didn’t respond considering Klaus let out a loud laugh.

“Here is the plan, then,” said Klaus, going toward the bottle of scotch that resided on Lucien’s table. “A distraction. We need to keep the Strix occupied with a loud sort of ruckus to find Alexis.” He took a swig straight from the bottle. “Time for us to get drunk.”

Beatrix made a face. “No thanks. Not unless you explain the rest of the plan first.”

“Well, think,” he said as Lucien went to retrieve more bottles of liquor. “The Strix are all bloody formal and whatnot. You and Freya needn’t get drunk, you’ll need to be quite sober for your parts. But think— what bigger distraction and blatant insult than Lucien and I, Tristan’s greatest rivals, coming in and ruining the mood of the party just long enough to get Alexis out?”

“And how do you propose we do that?” said Freya. “The place will be crawling with vampires far older than Beatrix. Are she and I meant to fend them off and look for Alexis simultaneously?”

“Oh, Beatrix should be part of the distraction,” said Klaus very seriously. “A little magic or something.”

The Heretic stared blankly at him. “You were just going on about how you didn’t want me to be with Elijah yet so I’m not in danger of the Strix, and yet, you want me to do magic in front of them?”

“It’s a one time thing!” said Klaus, already beginning to down another entire bottle that Lucien had brought over. “It’ll keep the attention on us. You are my sireling, after all, we can do a bit of bragging. Freya can find Alexis. She’s strong enough to cloak her and get her out. We can have a few more companions— those three girls that you were with, Lucien.”

He shrugged. “Sure. I’m certain they wouldn’t mind going. If it gets Alexis back, I can compel those girls to do anything you’d like.” He seemed quite pleased with this plan, wanting to be reckless.

“This is all quite vague,” said Beatrix, sitting down as Klaus and Lucien popped open another two bottles, already looking tipsy. “Are Freya and I to take charge if something goes wrong? There will be hundreds of vampires there, Klaus.”

“You’ll both be fine!” said the hybrid. “We really… really need that psychic witch.” He started to laugh, and put his hand on Lucien’s shoulder.

Freya and Beatrix shared an exasperated look. “When you called me over, I thought there would be a better plan.”

“So did I,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Alright, Klaus, say we do this. They’ll recognize us right away.”

“You can come dressed up, it’s Halloween!” said Lucien, giggling and leaning back onto the armrest of his sofa. “Like… like witches!”

Klaus and Lucien apparently thought this was very funny.

“Those girls that you mentioned,” said Freya. “Were they in typical Halloween costumes?”

“Oh, yes,” said Klaus, furrowing his eyebrows. “Very… sexy.”

Beatrix groaned loudly. “Fine. We’ll dress up to not draw too much attention to ourselves if we come in with you.”

“Check the closets,” said Lucien dismissively, waving toward a set of doors. “Lots of clothes you can use.”

Freya and Beatrix went over, and found rather cheap but abundant outfits that could certainly be molded into Halloween costumes. Freya went for an entire fuschia look, putting on a bobbed pink wig and a mask. “This should do for me,” she said. “It doesn’t mean anything, but I really don’t want to put more effort into this. Let’s hope it’s at least a fun mini mission. Otherwise I might scream.”

Beatrix giggled lightly. “Me too. How’s this?” She held up a revealing dark outfit with a fuzzy bunny tail on the backside of it, complete with fishnets, and a matching set of ears. “Tristan will recognize me no matter what but I guess the point is for him to see me so that he’ll be distracted…”

“It’ll be alright,” said Freya gently. “We’ll have each other’s backs. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too crazy. I’m already feeling like I’ve had enough excitement and all they’re doing is drinking.”

Beatrix peered out to where Klaus and Lucien were apparently laughing at the shape of the bottle. “Yes… and getting quite inebriated.”

Freya handed her another mask that she found. “Here, we can both wear masks at least over our eyes, it’ll be something.”

When they arrived at the Strix Gala, Beatrix almost immediately wanted to turn around, but couldn’t, because Klaus put his arm around her and howled mockingly, making her pull the sexy nurse with her. Between Klaus and Lucien was the skeleton bride, and on Lucien’s other side were Freya and the sexy cat. The three other women seemed completely unaware of what they were walking into, but they didn’t seem to have a problem with it either way.

“I’m ready for my medication!” said Klaus loudly as they burst in, causing everyone in the room to stop and stare at them.

“My God,” said Lucien dramatically, looking around. “It’s a room full of Elijahs.”

“I had the exact same nightmare once!” said Klaus, turning to Beatrix. “You were in it! But your face was Elijah’s…”

To play the part, all seven of them laughed hysterically, but from across the men, Freya and Beatrix shared a look that said ‘kill me now.’

Lucien turned to Freya and patted her cheek. “Go and grab us a drink, love! Feel free to fetch one for yourself.” 

“One for me, please!” Klaus slurred loudly. “And one for her, and her, and her, and her…”

“Tristan?” shouted Lucien. Klaus joined him. “Tristan! Come out, come out, wherever you are. Unless, of course, you’re afraid!”

Tristan promptly stepped out from behind some of the vampires, and Klaus giggled, leaning onto Beatrix. “Look, look, it’s him,” he said excitedly, and she giggled and patted his chest, though she locked eyes with Elijah, who had come up beside Tristan. She felt her cheeks turn pink.

“You should, uh, move along,” said Tristan, looking mildly unhappy. “You’re not welcome here.”

Beatrix fake pouted and looked at Klaus, who pretended to be sad. “Oh… oh, okay. We— we’re not welcome here…” He plucked a glass of champagne from the nearest serving platter and walked up to Tristan, still slurring. “Or maybe you should move along before I make you cry in front of all your little friends! Ha!”

Tristan remained looking quite serious. “My concern is for your companions. They appear out of sorts without a shiny pole to writhe upon.”

Beatrix let out a scoff on accident, then tried to mask it with a giggle. Lucien pulled her closer and gasped, looking her up and down. “Ohhh, he’s suggesting that you’re exotic dancers! Which, to him, is an insult…” He gestured toward the burlesque dancers that’d been entertaining the Strix just moments before. He took a few steps forward. “...If not hypocritical. But, don’t take it personally, love. He finds all work demeaning. The only dignified way to accumulate wealth is _by birth_.”

He cast Tristan an mischievous smile and leaned forward, extending his index finger and tapping Tristan on the end of the nose. “Boop!”

Klaus, of course, laughed hysterically at this, and Beatrix pretended to do the same, though she tried to listen for Freya. She could hear her talking, but not clearly.

“Isn’t that right, Tristan?” said Lucien. “Hmm?”

Elijah took this as a sign to step forward. “Niklaus.”

“What is it?” said Klaus, turning on his heel rather ungracefully to look at his brother. Elijah stepped forward and leaned in to whisper, but granted that they were all vampires, they could still hear perfectly fine.

“You’re hammered,” said Elijah. “Which should come as very little surprise to anyone here, but it _does_ hamper the festivities somewhat. So, could I recommend that you find the nearest exit?”

“Just—” Klaus began.

“Yes,” said Elijah simply. “And could you take your little playthings with you, too? They are not safe here.” He put emphasis on this, and his eyes flickered over to Beatrix. 

Klaus seemed to forget that she was supposed to be acting more lowkey, and stepped back to pull her forward. “You mean her?” he said loudly.

“Klaus, what are you doing?” she hissed immediately.

He pulled her hand into the air, waving it for the vampires to see. “Take off your mask, love, let them see who you are.”

“Niklaus,” said Elijah sharply, but he wasn’t able to stop Klaus from snatching Beatrix’s mask right off. 

Tristan was the first to realize. “You dare walk in here?” he snapped, his eyes wild with anger. 

“Oh, don’t blame her,” slurred Klaus with a sweet smile. “I’m her sire, after all. She has to listen to me.” 

He let go of her and stepped forward, addressing all the vampires. “You know, I used to find it insulting that I was barred from your special little club. But now, I realize that I lack the flexibility to become a member— I could _never_ get my head far enough up my own ass.”

He bowed dramatically, causing Lucien and the other girls to laugh, but Beatrix was standing, mortified, as the entirety of the Strix members glared in her direction. Clearly, they knew who she was, and were no longer paying attention to Klaus, who for some reason, had completely forgotten the plan aside from being distracting.

He patted Beatrix’s shoulders as he came over to her. “You all think you’re mighty,” he said seriously. “And yet not a single one of you can do what she can. Show off, love, come on.”

“Klaus, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Beatrix in a small voice, looking at Elijah with wide eyes.

“No, go on,” said Tristan, crossing his arms. “Show us some of your terrible power, Heretic. After all, we have not forgotten that you massacred seventy four of our own for no reason.”

Beatrix gritted her teeth. “First of all, it wasn’t for no reason. You bloody lunatics were trying to force me into a coven I didn’t want to be a part of!”

“And yet, innocent blood, on your hands,” said Tristan with a shrug. “Doesn’t change the fact that under that skin of a ditzy woman lies an absolute beast.”

It no longer mattered to her that she wasn’t supposed to lash out. She did anyway.

She raised her hands, and all the windows exploded, the glass in the chandelier burstin into a million pieces. There were a few screams and the vampires shielded themselves, but the glass did not fly down onto them. In fact, the next second that they looked up, the shards were stationary, floating in the air and catching the light, creating several rainbows that danced. She flicked one finger and the lights turned off, though the rainbows did not disappear, making the only source of light being multicolored. She raised her hands more and the lights began to flicker, and when she flicked her wrist, the shards of glass flew back into place, the windows and the chandelier repaired as though they’d never been damaged after all.

Klaus let out a giggle when the entirety of the Strix were silent. “And that’s just a small taste of what she can do,” he said proudly, putting his arm around her and planting a big kiss on her cheek. He looked at Tristan and Elijah. “No one in your sireline can do that, can they?”

He turned to Lucien. “Come on. Let’s go. This party is dead anyway.”

He let out a loud howl as the three woman laughed, pulling Beatrix with him out the door, where they found Freya waiting not too far off with an unconscious Alexis, apparently having slipped out the door with a charm that kept them invisible and undetected.

By the time they got back to the Mikaelson compound, Lucien and Klaus’s drunkenness was wearing off, and Lucien left to wait for Alexis to wake up while she lay on a couch in the courtyard. Freya put together a tonic and handed it to Klaus, who drank it hesitantly, before looking back up at Beatrix, eyes wide.

“Bloody hell,” he said quietly the instant Freya left the room. “I didn’t… I didn’t…”

“You completely forgot about your whole spiel to keep me safe, hmm?” she said, sitting down across from him, now with a bathrobe on to cover the costume. 

He looked absolutely mortified. “I got… I got too ahead of myself.”

“Yes, you did,” she said, sighing quietly and crossing her legs. “But it’s whatever. Tristan tested me anyway. I don’t care if they know my power anymore.” 

When he didn’t say anything in response, she just sighed and left the room.

She only came back when she heard rushed voices, and the particularly familiar one belonging to Marcel.

“We cannot tell friend from foe, and what are you doing?” said Klaus loudly, and almost angrily. “You’re pledging a fraternity run by those conspiring against us?”

“My interest in the Strix is because of you!” said Marcel sharply. “I don't get to choose sides. Whoever comes for you, comes for me. That's all I need to know.”

“Boys,” said Beatrix as she came in. “What’s the matter?” She then looked down at Marcel and went rigid as she saw a bite on his arm. “Oh, shit.” She moved forward and took it tenderly, putting her hand over his wrist and beginning to siphon. The two men watched as little by little, the bite disappeared. 

“What happened?” said Beatrix.

“I got initiated into the Strix,” said Marcel quietly.

Klaus rubbed his forehead. “Think, Marcellus, whoever comes for me may very well come for you, but they may also come through you. Remember that.” He faced Beatrix. “The witch is awake. Shall we go down?”

“Sure,” she said a bit stiffly, biting her lip. If Marcel was involved with the Strix, she feared perhaps she may need to get more involved than she intended to. No way did she want him going through that alone.

She found that downstairs, Hayley and Elijah were back, while Lucien and Freya sat beside Alexis, who was close to tears. “I’m sorry,” she said to Lucien. “I hoped I was wrong, I really did. But I saw it. I saw him die.”

“Did you see the weapon?” said Lucien nervously. The witch nodded. “What is it?”

“To understand, it must be seen,” she said, holding her wrists out toward Elijah and Hayley. They both went to be beside her and sat, taking her wrists and biting in.

It was the strangest thing ever. Alexis threw her head back, apparently beginning tos how them a vision, but within seconds, her nose was bleeding. Hayley and Elijah both detached their teeth, spitting out the blood they’d taken in, and coughing. 

“Something’s wrong,” said Hayley.

“Poison!” said Elijah as Alexis spit out a large clot of blood, doubling over into Lucien’s arms as he ran over to her.

“No!” he cried. “No— no— NO!”

Beatrix lunged forward and tried to siphon, but it was too late. The witch collapsed in Lucien’s lap, her eyes wide open.


	38. Chapter 38

**November started to come to an end, and Klaus and Beatrix were still growing distant.**

At first, it made sense to Beatrix. He felt guilty for making her expose herself but he didn’t know how to apologize. 

But when after time, he started talking to her less and less, she wasn’t sure what to think. Perhaps he no longer saw fit to have her as his most trusted friend.

“I have to pick one,” said Davina, snapping Beatrix out of her thoughts. “Orange or purple?”

Jackson, Hayley, and Beatrix shared a look. It was _Fête de Cadeau_ , and Beatrix was not glad to have been called in. Fifteen minutes ago, they’d all been asked to come, which they had, though they were not sure why Davina wanted them there.

Beatrix, for one, would rather be anywhere else. This witch day celebration was not important to her— it never had been. She didn’t like to participate in any sacred days because her mother had not taught her to do so, and without a coven, she could hardly keep track of them as it was. Ever since she’d arrived, the cold stares of the other witches had followed her, and the Heretic was reminded of why she hated interacting with other groups of witches.

“Did you seriously call us here to play Fashion Police?” asked Jackson incredulously as a witch came around with an incense ball and swept smoke in Davina’s face.

“Okay,” said Davina sharply to the woman, “I know this is sacred oil, but can we please not do that right now?” When they left, she sighed. “Thank you.” She began to tie the orange ribbon around her throat. “Sorry. Thank you for coming— all of you.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Like we had a choice, Davina. Either we do your bidding, or you blow out that candle of yours and turn us back into wolves. So, we're pretty much your slaves.

Jackson tried to be polite after hearing this. “Now Hayley, come on. This is the deal we made. Let's let her say her piece, hmm?” He faced the younger witch. “What do you want?”

Davina clearly looked nervous. “This is my first _Cadeau_ as Regent. Since I represent the city, the covens have to pay tribute to me, and I throw them a party. I need them to respect me, but this is the first public event since…”

“Since you had me kill those witches in the Ninth Ward?” finished Hayley, causing Davina to look even more uncomfortable.

“I have a feeling it might not go so well, especially since Van Nguyen blames me for what happened to his mom. He vowed to get back at me. Actually, he said he would _erase_ me. I mean, who even talks like that?”

“There are methods of erasure,” said Beatrix bluntly. “He might be speaking literally. Watch your back and monitor the magic that other witches are doing. In the meantime, are we to be your bodyguards?”

Davina nodded and faced Hayley and Jackson specifically. “Look, I know that you're not exactly thrilled with me right now, but if I die, that candle's magic dies, too. And then there's _nothing_ stopping you from changing back into wolves. I invited Beatrix to work on the candle and see if she can remove the curse entirely.”

“Oh, fucking bless,” sighed Beatrix in relief. “So I’m not here to be integrated into one of the covens?”

Davina shook her head. “You already told me you don’t want to be part of a coven, and I respect that. Still, I think it important that the witches see you’re not here to do any harm. You can stay in here working on the candle for now, and Hayley and Jackson can be in charge of protection.”

“Well, that works,” Jackson said. “I’ll check out the crowd now.”

He left, and Hayley let out a dejected sigh. “Fine, I’ll keep you alive.” She then grimaced at Davina’s neck. “But, if you wear that awful orange scarf, you’ll wish that I hadn’t.”

Beatrix smirked lightly at this and went over to observe the candle that had a red Crescent moon carved into it. Waving her hand over it, she hummed. “Damn, Davina, this is some powerful spellwork,” she huffed, impressed.

“Think you can finish off what’s needed?” she asked as she put on the purple scarf instead. 

“Definitely,” said Beatrix. “Might take me awhile, though.”

Davina nodded and walked off, and Hayley slowly approached the Heretic. “I’m sorry,” she said, causing her to turn to face the hybrid. “I have acted like a total bitch to you. It was unwarranted. Even though I didn’t know a lot of stuff about you, it was wrong of me to act that way. Not knowing is not an excuse. I really, really appreciate all that you’ve done for Hope. I want you in her life. Jackson does, too. He talked to me about it and I… I am sorry it’s taken me so long to speak to you. I want you to know I mean it.”

Beatrix found a small smile coming to her face. “I appreciate it. And I’m sorry, too, for my part in the hostilities. I’ve got a terrible ruddy temper and I let it get the best of me. I want us to be friends, Hayley. I admire you. And I promise, I will remove this spell so that you can be with your little girl full time. She needs a mother like you.”

Hayley bit her lip and stepped closer. “So what are you and Klaus? No one ever really told me about that.”

“We were lovers before. It was a serious relationship but it didn’t last. He’s not a bad man. He’s just not trusting, and his brutality stems from wanting to be safer than sorry. Now, with Hope, he’s more paranoid. He won’t let any harm come to her. He’s not… the best coparent. Marcel is the compassionate and kind man he is because of who he was born as, and maybe a little of my influence. Klaus is not a patient person, and neither am I, but he’s learning. It’s going to take more time than this for him to realize how he needs to act. He just… likes being in control, you know. The lack of it drives him crazy. I’ll try to do the best I can, but… right now he’s not exactly speaking to me.”

“The Strix Gala,” Hayley recalled. “Tristan spoke about you later that night to Elijah— I heard them.”

“Really?” said Beatrix, raising an eyebrow. “All awful things, I presume?”

“Not exactly. Elijah went to get Tristan to back down on trying to get you, and Tristan realized that you and Elijah had been an item. I think, if anything, he was more jealous that you weren’t more devoted to Elijah, because otherwise, you’d be a weapon for the Strix. I think he’s willing to pardon you if it means you’ll enter the Strix Coven… or at least, that’s what I understood. He seemed to be oddly aware of things surrounding you, like someone had already told him.”

“No doubt I’ve been watched for some time, now,” sighed Beatrix. “Thanks for letting me know. No way in hell am I going to ever help Tristan.”

At that moment, Davina came back in. “The witches are arriving with their gifts,” she announced, definitely not looking forward to it. With an equally bored face, Hayley followed her out.

Beatrix spent the next few hours working on the candle. It wasn’t all that bad— she worked out a spell rather quickly, but refining it was the more difficult part. She forced her mind not to wander to Klaus, wondering if he would ever speak to her again. Instead, she tried to tune into the Ancestral magic she could feel all around her. They might not like her, but she was born there, and they couldn’t exactly refuse her their help, right? She’d need a boost from them to ensure the spell went off without a hitch.

Afternoon was falling when her work was disrupted by the entrance of Davina, Hayley, Jackson, and an angry looking boy that Beatrix assumed was Van.

“You’ve already taken everything away from me!” he snapped at Davina. “So go ahead, kill me! Get it over with!”

Davina kept her cool. “You tried to murder a Regent, by which law you should be _hanged_.”

“Oh, shit,” said Beatrix under her breath as Van scoffed. “Murder? Is that the first place your mind goes? Do you even know what I was using to attack you?”

At this, Jackson took out a small puppet and handed it to Davina, whose face flushed with shame. “This isn’t to kill me,” she said softly.

“It's a _figure veritas_ ,” said Van. “Stab it in the heart, and the victim must confess their darkest truths.”

Davina cast him a sad look. “You wanted me to admit what I did to your mom so I'd be shunned.”

Van shrugged. “Maybe I'd rather see you dead, but at least that would be justice.”

“Look, she’s the one who attacked _me_ ,” Davina stated. “She wanted a mutiny, and if that happens, what's next? An all-out witch war to decide the next Regent? How many people will die then?”

“So you think the covens are better off with you?” Van challenged.

“I do,” said Davina firmly. “I've seen things done the old way. I've done things the old way. And it doesn't work. If you don't want peace, then fine. Go. You're free. But, I'm asking you... Please stay. We can work together. We can change things.”

Van only considered it for a moment before leaving the tomb without another word. Beatrix awkwardly coughed. “So, um, I think I’m ready to do the spell,” said the Heretic, shuffling on the balls of her feet. “Might be nice to have the Regent help out so the Ancestors don’t burn me.”

Davina nodded, glad for a change of topic. “Sure.” She looked over the candles and herbs Beatrix had prepared and peered onto the spell. “Wow. I don’t know if I can pronounce a lot of those words.”

“Just let me channel you, then,” said Beatrix, beckoning her over and taking her hands. Davina closed her eyes and the Heretic followed suit, humming for about a minute before beginning to chant, _“Krok půlměsíc maleir, deslligar vlk človek, odstranit creixent prekliatie, rozviazat donchuan humà, treure eliminar polmesiac mitya lluna kletba, uvolnit llop lidský_.”

There was a tugging sensation between Davina and Beatrix, and the candle flickered. The Heretic leaned down and blew out the flame, and both Jackson and Hayley gasped, but neither transformed.

“It’s done,” said Beatrix, letting out a sigh of relief. “Do I get to go home now?”

“Yes,” said Davina, smiling as Hayley and Jackson embraced. “Thank you so much.”

“Thank you,” said Jackson, followed by a grateful smile from Hayley.

“Of course,” said Beatrix. “Have fun for the rest of the night… I’m going to go take a nice, soothing shower or something…”

She sped to the compound, having in mind to relax, but the instant she touched down, she realized Marcel had arrived just beside her. “Whatcha doing here?” she asked curiously.

“Have some news,” he answered with a grave look. “Not good. Come on.”

He waved her to follow him, where they met Elijah in the hallway outside the courtyard. “Marcellus,” said Elijah. “Talk to me.”

“We got a problem,” said Marcel bluntly. “My guy stayed on Tristan's tail all day. Followed him to this place called the Candide Royale. He goes in, never comes out. So, he's obviously using it as a way to get to somewhere. The building has hidden passageways leading out the back. Now, bootleggers used them in the twenties to run booze to a secret storehouse on Dauphine, and you'll _never_ guess who just bought that storehouse.”

When neither Elijah or Beatrix piped up a guess, Marcel went on. “Kingmaker Land Development, owned by one Lucien Castle. Now, that sure as hell isn't a coincidence. Either they're brokering some kind of truce...

“...Or, they've been working together the whole time,” whispered Beatrix. “Hayley was just telling me about Tristan’s conversation with you, Elijah. She said she found it weird he seemed to know quite a bit about me.”

“The news I have for you will only make it worse,” sighed Elijah. “Aurora has arrived in New Orleans.”

“Oh bloody fucking hell,” said Beatrix, putting a hand on her forehead. “Seriously? And Klaus is still not speaking to me… meaning she’s going to be able to get his attention for quite a few things.”

Elijah and Marcel shared a worried look. “We will keep investigating. You rest, Beatrix.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. One Silencing Spell later, she was lounging in her bathtub, listening to some music and letting herself relax in the bubbles.

“Beatrix?” The Heretic looked up as Freya came in. “Good, you’re here. I didn’t hear anything when I knocked.”

“Sorry, I blocked sound in and out,” said Beatrix, sitting up slightly. “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” said Freya, taking a seat next to the shower. “I just… wanted to talk about something. I hope it’s no intrusion. I just— well, I’ve learned more about you and my brothers tell me that you’ve… been with women in the past.”

Beatrix nodded. “Yep. Never put a label on it, though. Nowadays, they might call me bisexual— I think, is the term?”

Freya bit her lip. “I think… I might be too. I’m mostly questioning right now. I haven’t really tried anything yet but ever since the Gala…” she blushed. “Alexis kissed me to show me her vision, and it… triggered something, I think. A hidden feeling I never tuned into. Is it alright wit you if I talk to you about it, if I ever need to?”

“Of course, Freya. No judgement here. You’re free to be attracted to whoever you’d like.”

Freya offered her a smile and cleared her throat. “So… I was wondering. Do you and my brother have feelings for each other? I mean Klaus, by the way.”

The Heretic shook her head. “We don’t work like that… not anymore. We appreciate our friendship. He gets me, and I get him. Nothing more. I don’t think there’s a chance we’ll ever be romantically involved anymore.”

“I just wondered, because I know Kol and Rebekah are your best friends, but you never had a romantic attraction to either. Yet you and Klaus sometimes… I wonder if it could be a thing.”

Beatrix chuckled. “You and your siblings are all very attractive, but when it comes to Klaus, I don’t think he would ever fancy me like that again. Me, well, my heart will always remember how loved he made me feel. That kind of love doesn’t go away. Klaus and Elijah will always hold a very special place in my heart even if I never get back together with them. I… I still need to process everything that happened with Kai. I don’t know what I want anymore. But I do know what I need, and I need to be acknowledged as I am, flaws and strengths combined. Make sure you place proper value on yourself, too, Freya. Be it a male or a female, whoever you fancy should see you as you are and fall for that, even with the ugly and pretty sides fluctuating. None of us are perfect but we’re all capable of love and we’re capable of being loved. Never diminish your worth.”

Freya came over and patted her head. “Thanks, Beatrix. I appreciate it. I’ll let you keep relaxing.”

The relaxing didn’t last too long. In the morning, Beatrix was well rested, but came downstairs alongside Freya to get breakfast, where they found the entire courtyard a mess. Overturned wooden chairs, a broken chandelier with taper candles across the floor, a puddle of blood, an overturned footstool, broken chair legs all over the place soaked in blood.

“Well, fuck, my Silencing Spell certainly worked,” huffed Beatrix, the two raising her hands to protect themselves as they went into the dining room. They found Klaus and Elijah covered in blood, sitting calmly at the table. Elijah’s shirt was torn all over the place, and Klaus was draining some of his blood into a glass. 

“May I ask what happened?” said Freya sharply.

Klaus smirked. “We had a little chat about the past.”

Elijah looked up. “I informed Niklaus I am not his enemy. And, though they entered the city under the guise of peace, Tristan and Lucien, in truth, are allied against us. A fact that required a little bit of... _gentle_ persuasion...

“And so I reminded our brother, who angered them in the first place…” piped up Klaus.

“And what yielded?” inquired Beatrix, leaning into the doorway. “After all this _civil_ discourse, I mean.”

“That we expose and destroy our first sired,” said Elijah as Klaus handed him the glass of blood.

“Couldn’t agree more,” said the hybrid. “You see, gentlemen know when to call a truce and turn our fury in a more pertinent direction.”

Beatrix cast him a cheeky smile. “And us gentle ladies don’t get into such ridiculous brawls to begin with. But whatever floats your boat, Klaus. I’m going to go get a bite elsewhere.”

She didn’t wait for Klaus to try and speak to her.

On her way to St. Anne’s Church, she stopped in an alleyway and fed on a young businessman, healing him before going to the gym, and seeing only Marcel was there.

“Care for a training session?” said Marcel when he saw her. “You look stressed.”

“Ah, you know me so well,” she sighed, climbing into the ring.

Between punches, she ranted about literally everything. “... and now, Tristan still wants me in the Coven, which is a fucking problem cause I don’t want them—” she caught Marcel’s fist as it aimed at her core, and she flipped him onto his back, though he kicked her legs out from under her. She rolled up and readied herself. “... and fucking Klaus isn’t helping matters because now he’s ignoring me, probably thinking I’m mad at him when I’m not—” she dodged a strike and kicked Marcel back. He grabbed her foot and twisted her onto her stomach. “Ouch,” she huffed. “He’s just so— insufferable sometimes. He’s ignoring me on purpose, and I don’t know why.”

“Maybe he has feelings for you again,” said Marcel. “And he feels bad because you’re not over Kai yet, and he doesn’t want to mess things up with Cami either.”

“Are you crazy?” she huffed as she knocked him back against the fence. “He does not have feelings for me. You and Freya are on drugs.”

“I can assure you, we are not. Can’t blame me— you two are my parents, the idea of you together isn’t bad to me. Better than you and Elijah, at any rate.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I know so. Those are just my thoughts, anyway. He’s scared that he’s going to drag you into another problem. He still feels bad he exposed you to Tristan, even though it wasn’t as bad in the end since Lucien was in kahoots with him from the start.”

“I can’t imagine how that conversation went about. Hey, Tristan, remember that girl who killed all your Strix siblings? She’s here and I had a one night stand with her.”

Marcel made a face, but didn’t get to answer because Hayley burst in, dragging an unconscious man behind her. “Hey,” she said breathlessly as she tied him onto a chair, revealing she’d bitten him. “You might remember him from that pretentious excuse for a party.”

“Well,” huffed Marcel, coming over. “Shen Min. Eight hundred years old. According to Tristan, he was a torture consultant for Genghis Khan.”

“We fought once,” recalled Beatrix. “I would have killed him along with those other Strix, but I was too weakened by then, and honestly, I have no idea how I survived.”

“I was hoping you’d know him more intimately so you could get him to admit why he was following me,” said Hayley, making Beatrix laugh. 

“He’s attractive, but brutal,” said the Heretic. “Wouldn’t have happened unless he was possessed by someone else’s spirit.”

The hybrid smirked and turned to Marcel, serious again. “So, Marcel, why was he following me?”

“I don’t know,” Marcel admitted. 

“You don’t know, or you’re sworn to a code of silence?”

Marcel held his hands up in surrender. “Hey! Easy. We’re on the same side here. Let me call Elijah, alright?” He brought out his phone and went over to one of the other side rooms.

“Your timing is perfectly horrendous,” Beatrix heard Elijah say as she leaned over to examine Shen Min’s face.

“Yeah?” said Marcel. “Well, I need your help. Hayley caught one of Tristan's guys tailing her. Knocked him out, brought him to the gym for a little Q & A. Problem is, it's Shen Min.”

“Marcellus, do I need to remind you that Shen Min was known as ‘the Red Sorrow’ _before_ he was a vampire? You execute him immediately. Is Beatrix with you?”

“Yes, she is. I—” 

“Before he wakes, you tear that heart from his chest.”

Elijah hung up, and Marcel sighed, pocketing his phone and coming over as Hayley stopped right in front of the man. “So, what? You gonna sleep all day?”

“He might,” said Beatrix, poking his cheek. “Jeez. I can try to look into his mind, and we can kill him before he wakes.”

“No,” said Hayley, nodding to show that Shen Min was opening his eyes. “Hmm. About time. Now we can get started.”

The man smiled in amusement. “Yes, we certainly can.” He turned to face Beatrix. “So the Heretic still lives. Last I heard, you were in a prison world. I should know, after all… I tipped them off about you.”

Beatrix’s eyes flashed angrily, and she twisted her wrist, making him grunt in pain. “Feel that? Your blood is turning into hot acid. So I suggest you start talking because this time, I’m full of magic and you’re not going to get the best of me.”

She felt absolutely furious, but at the moment, she could not allow herself to fixate on the horrible feeling it gave her. No, she would not allow herself to think of Kai. 

Hayley leaned down to his eye level as Beatrix dropped the spell, demanding to herself that she wait until another time to address his confession. 

“If you talk, maybe we’ll even get you healed from that bite I gave you,” said Hayley. To make her point, she pushed her index finger into the bite wound on his wrist. This time, Shen simply clenched his jaw and remained quiet.

“Why were you following me?” Hayley demanded.

“Because we have use for you,” answered Shen Min smoothly. “Or, is it some other reason? You'll never know. And, it won't matter, because when I get free, I'm going to break your jaw as you did mine and slowly pull your intestines out from your body.”

“Hey!” snapped Marcel. “How about we just calm down?”

Shen sneered at Marcel. “And you. The others were so pleased when you joined our ranks, but I knew from the start you were filth. You've proven it by siding against us. For that, I will end you, but not before you watch them both die... _screaming_.”

Marcel rolled up his sleeve. “Right. Well, that’s about enough of that. Sorry, Hayley. Your turn’s over. He’s got to die.”

He lunged to rip out Shen’s heart, but in an instant, Shen stood and spun, smashing the chair back into the door frame and freeing him of his restraints, breaking off two of the chair legs and holding them each in makeshift stakes. Beatrix moved to attack but Marcel waved her back, jumping forward, only to be thrown back hard into the back wall, knocking him out instantly and leaving blood leaking from his head. Hayley took a strike next, but Shen whacked her over the head with the chair legs, taking a kettle-weight off the floor with his foot and slamming it into the hybrid’s head. Beatrix twisted her arm, snapping his legs, which made him throw both wooden legs at her, both grazing her sides, but not piercing her. 

“Pity, you have to die like this,” sneered Beatrix, flicking her fingers and making more bones in his body break. “But you deserve it.”

“I’ll die knowing I broke you,” he snapped, gritting his teeth. “You don’t have the same fight you did before, Heretic. You’re weak. And I will bring Tristan your head.”

“Funny, because the broken one appears to be you,” said Beatrix as Hayley, now recovered, lunged to tear her fist into Shen’s heart. But to both women’s surprise, he managed to stand and kick her in the stomach, pulling her forward and snapping her neck, as though he wanted to kill her, but wanted to rid himself of Beatrix first. 

Beatrix moved her wrist, but Shen threw Hayley’s unconscious body at her, making her duck and leaving him an opening to plunge his hand into her chest, making her croak in pain as he held her heart, barely able to stand but somehow having incapacitated her. “Tristan will reward me greatly for finally putting an end to you,” he said darkly. “At last, I am the one who defeated the Original Heretic.”

She let out a croak of pain as he made to remove her heart, but suddenly, his hold loosened, and her eyes watered as she tried to see what was going on. He dropped her, and she coughed, panting for air, and seeing that Elijah was there, and he’d impaled Shen Min through the chest with a sharp piece of wood. The Original rushed over to Beatrix, pulling her up. “Are you okay?”

She nodded weakly, and Elijah grasped Shen Min, removing the wood and glaring into his eyes to compel him. “Why were you following Hayley?”

He couldn’t resist the compulsion. “I was ordered to remove her from the playing field. She is an obstacle to the thing we truly want.”

“Which is what?” Elijah growled. 

“Davina Claire,” said Shen. 

“What do you want with Davina Claire?”

“Tristan needs her to activate a weapon to use against your family.”

“What weapon?”

Shen seemed intent to use all of his remaining energy to resist the compulsion, remaining silent, though this just caused Elijah to grip his throat tighter. “Forgive me, I’m having a little difficulty hearing you right now. Speak.”

“I’d… rather… die!” snarled Shen, breaking free and throwing off his daylight ring, bursting into flames in front of Elijah and Beatrix. 

The Heretic gritted her teeth. “He’s the one who got me in the prison world in the first place. He tipped them off. He must have been spying on me.”

Elijah cast her a saddened look. “Beatrix—”

But her phone began to ring, and she looked down, seeing an unknown number. “Sorry… let me see who this is.”

She stepped aside as Elijah sighed and went to revive Hayley and Marcel. “Hello?” said Beatrix. “Who is this?”

“Is this Beatrix La Salle?”

“Er, yes. Who are you? You sound familiar.”

“It— it’s Caroline. Caroline Forbes.”

Beatrix stopped. “What do you want?” she said quietly, not in the mood for another painful reminder of Kai.

“I… well, I don’t know how to say this gently, so I’ll just be out with it. I’m pregnant.”

The Heretic faltered. “What? But— but you’re a vampire, aren't you?”

“I promise, I’ll explain right now. I was texting Klaus the other day and… I think you deserve a chance at redemption. He told me you used to be an OB/Gyn and since you’re a siphon too, I want you to help me. This pregnancy— you’re not going to believe it, but I have Alaric and Jo’s twins inside of me.”

Beatrix staggered back into the nearest wall. “ _What?_ No— we killed them.”

“The Gemini Coven managed to save them just before… they all died. They’re inside me now, and I plan to bring them to term. I know that we haven’t met officially and I know that Alaric won’t… be so warm. But if Klaus trusts you, then I do too, and there is no one else I’d rather help me deliver these babies.”

The Heretic swallowed the lump in her throat. “Alright,” she said softly. “I’ll be your doctor.”

_Hey all, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please comment your response to this question: who do you want Beatrix to end up with most? You can include your second choice if you'd like. I want to see what you're thinking._


	39. Chapter 39

**An hour later, Beatrix still couldn’t believe what she’d just agreed to.**

Hayley and Marcel had already been revived by then, and Marcel had left to look for Freya. The Heretic had been occupied in her thoughts when Marcel and Freya came in without Rebekah, who was meant to have arrived in New Orleans that night. 

“Where is Rebekah?” demanded Elijah.

Freya cast him a distraught look. “Get to the St. Louis Cathedral and wait for me. I need to call Klaus. Beatrix— get everything ready for a locator spell.”

“Got it,” said the Heretic, glad to get her mind off of Caroline and the apparently alive twins.

Elijah, Hayley, and Beatrix sped away immediately, Marcel waiting behind to take Freya with him once she called Klaus. They wasted no time in getting up to the belltower. Beatrix grabbed the biggest map she could find and put it on the table, setting a wide array of candles on the four corners to hold the map down. She took a bowl and beckoned for Elijah to drain his blood into it. Without hesitation, he bit into his wrist and let the crimson liquid drain in.

Minutes later, Marcel and Freya arrived. “So, where is Klaus?” said Hayley.

Freya didn’t look pleased with the answer. “When I told him about Rebekah, he said he'd pursue another lead.”

Elijah looked very disappointed to hear this. “Forget Niklaus. You both will find her.”

“Are you sure you got enough ju-ju for a worldwide locator spell?” asked Marcel as Beatrix and Freya linked hands across the table.

“She’s our family,” said Freya. “We’re not going to lose her.” The two closed their eyes and began to chant, “ _Le six ce strul no cruv. Le six ce strul no cruv._ ” They unlinked only to join palms under the bowl of blood and pour it ont the map. As soon as this was done, their hands locked again. “ _Le six ce strul no cruv. Le six ce strul no cruv…_ ”

This proved useless. Rather than going to a location, the blood simply seeped all over the map. “Damnit!” Freya hissed.

“So much for witch-GPS,” sighed Hayley. 

“I assumed they’d cloak her,” Freya said shakily. “I didn’t expect a spell this strong.”

“The witch that lured Rebekah in,” murmured Beatrix. “With the help of the Strix Coven, too. Fuck… this is going to be a lot more difficult than we expected.”

“The Strix trust me,” Marcel offered. “If they know where Rebekah is, I can find her.”

Elijah shook his head. “There is no time. You need to stop Davina from activating Lucien and Tristan’s weapon.”

“We need to find Rebekah!” Marcel insisted.

“Marcel, I will not rest until my sister is found!”

He conceded. “Alright. I’ll handle Davina.” He sped away.

“In the meantime, please tell me we’re gonna kill someone?” said Hayley hopefully.

“Oh, we’re going to kill many someones,” said Elijah. “But first, if we are to start a war, let us determine where our allegiances lie.” He nodded to Freya and Beatrix, and he and Hayley sped away.

“What did Klaus say?” inquired Beatrix. “Why… why didn’t he come?"

“He insists there is some other lead to look into,” said Freya, rubbing her temples. “No idea what it could be. But… I did notice, he was being rather quiet when he spoke. Almost like he was with someone.”

Beatrix’s heart skipped a beat. “You think… _with_ someone?”

Freya nodded, and Beatrix frowned. “But… but Klaus doesn’t sleep around like that,” she said in confusion. “He always tells me these things. He still hasn’t wanted to talk to me…”

Freya winced. “I won’t pretend to know my brother as much as you do. But something is up.”

The Heretic cleared her throat. “Yeah… let’s just get on with this, then.”

At least, trying to locate Rebekah was a good distraction from Klaus, but it brought no answers. For four hours, Beatrix and Freya went through every version of locator spells they could, trying different variations with herbs and blood, even with trinkets that belonged to Rebekah. But nothing worked.

“The spell is too powerful to penetrate from where we are,” Beatrix growled, covering her face. “I’d need to be right there in front of her to siphon it away, and that might not work, if they protected it against that, which they might have, considering that Lucien has been in kahoots with Tristan.”

“There has to be something!” Freya insisted, digging through her grimoires. Her phone chimed on the table. “Can you check who that is? Maybe they found something.”

Beatrix went over and peered at the screen. “What? They— they invited Lucien, Tristan, and Aurora to Thanksgiving dinner? Aurora— Aurora as in—”

“Oh no,” breathed Freya, covering her mouth. “The other lead. She— she’s Rebekah’s first sireling.”

“So… so she arrived in New Orleans… and now she’s… she’s _with_ Klaus?”

Beatrix was angry. Though she’d only heard Aurora’s name from Elijah because Klaus refused to refer to her by it because of how hurt he was by what she did (which, apparently now, had been Elijah’s doing), she recalled that Klaus harbored quite a great deal of animosity for her. How was it that now he’d taken her to his bed? 

Freya covered her face and let out a frustrated half-scream. “This— this is just— no. If she’s this lead, we have to go get it out of her directly.”

“I agree,” said Beatrix, waving her hand to extinguish the candles. “Some torture ought not be bad for her.”

Freya smirked. “Yes. Let’s go.”

The Heretic grasped onto her arm and the two sped to the Mikaelson Compound. Beatrix had to admit— she was feeling rather uncertain about the prospect of meeting Aurora. Klaus had spouted many hateful words about her, but even now that the truth had come out regarding Elijah having compelled her to break it off with Klaus, Beatrix still couldn’t imagine how he’d want someone like her back. She was problematic and loony, wasn’t she?

Beatrix nibbled on her lip when they arrived at the entrance. Deep inside, though she’d never admit it, she felt jealous. Not because Aurora had Klaus’s affections, but because he had his attention. She might consider Kol and Rebekah to be her best friends, but after all this time, the truth was that Klaus was her closest and most trusted friend— the one who always got her out of a spot of trouble and who she could trust. Even though she’d opened up most to Elijah and even though she got along with Kol and Rebekah all the time compared to Klaus, he was the one that at the end of the day, she went back to. He was the first Mikaelson she’d met, and though he’d fought with her more than anyone else, he had never once abandoned her in her misery.

Freya strode in, and Beatrix followed, forgetting her nerves regarding the prospect of meeting Aurora. “We’re welcoming our enemies to the dinner table now?” Freya said as they made themselves known. “Convenient, given she's the one who has the answers I want.”

Aurora scoffed when Freya gestured to her. Radiant and beautiful, but with an air of madness. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she said, standing to her feet. And, also, rather short. “Now I have to deal with the long-lost sister? Nik, please spare me your family's rage and paranoia. It is exactly this kind of lunacy which led me to steal Rebekah in the first place.”

“What did you do with her?” Freya demanded. 

Aurora fake pouted. “Oh, I'm sorry, love, but this prophecy has you all acting as fools. And I've no intention of risking my life to foolishness. Now, I can't trust Rebekah with any of you.” She faced her brother, who was glaring at Beatrix. “And I certainly can't trust the silly dear to endure on her own, so I decided to put her someplace safe. Imagine a spot where no harm could come to her. Where, in fact, no one could possibly even track her down…” she turned to Beatrix. “Not even you, Heretic. Rest assured, Rebekah is perfectly fine… at the bottom of the ocean.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re bluffing.” When the redhead shook her head, he slammed his fist onto the table. “Tell me you’re bluffing!”

“Oh, you should all be thanking me!” she said dramatically. “Rebekah's never been safer! She has plenty of company down there. There's all the little crabs, and octopus, and—”

Klaus got to his feet, but Tristan sped to Freya, holding a knife to her throat. “Harm my sister, and I’ll be forced to return the favor.”

Klaus simply turned to Beatrix, who flicked her wrist and send Tristan flying back into Elijah, who caught him and pinned him to the wall. When Aurora got up to retaliate, Beatrix flicked her wrist again, forcing her back into her seat. 

Lucien let out a little chortle of amusement, sipping his drink. “Oh, this escalated very quickly…”

“Shut up, Lucien, or I’ll tear your tongue from your head!” spat Klaus irritably. 

Lucien rolled his eyes. “Be careful with your threats, Nik. Anything should happen to me, I won't be able to protect your precious Cami.”

Aurora’s face grew to bear a murderous expression. “Okay, that is the second time I've heard her name! Just who is this Cami?”

“You have bigger problems,” Freya growled at this, thrusting her hand and wrist to the side and snapping Aurora’s neck.

“Freya!” chided Klaus, though he didn’t seem to be disappointed. 

Elijah dragged Tristan back to the table and shoved him into his seat. “Niklaus… which of these two vulgar parasites would you first like to torture?”

Klaus shrugged. “Well, it’s half a dozen of one and six of the other, isn’t it? Why don’t you take the stable boy? Tristan and I are long overdue for a good catch up.”

“Perfect,” said Freya. “We’ll take Aurora. I’m sure Hayley would love to come have her fun.”

Klaus smirked, and leaned down to whisper menacingly in Lucien’s ear. “Oh, and if anything happens to Camille…”

“I’m quite sure Lucien’s aware,” said Elijah. “Devastating error.”

Beatrix wove her hand delicately over Aurora’s body, levitating it toward the ballroom as Freya took out her phone and called Hayley. The hybrid arrived just as Beatrix shoved Aurora back into the wall. Freya and Hayley made their way in, and Beatrix brought her arms up, casting a Silencing Spell around the room.

“Wake her, Freya,” said Beatrix as she and Hayley crossed their arms. “Let’s see what this little bitch has to say.”

The witch twirled her fingers and soon, Aurora began to twitch, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes. She looked up at the three women as if excited. “Oh, are we to play a fun game?”

“Actually, yes,” said Hayley. “We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Aurora gazed up at her with false fondness. “The other of Niklaus’s child. Ooh, I was really hoping I’d get to meet you.”

“Feeling’s not mutual,” Hayley stated blankly. 

Aurora was unfazed. “Oh, okay. So, then what, pray tell, are we doing here?”

“Simple, darling,” said Beatrix, casting her a wry grin. “You tell us where to find Rebekah, or we kill you.”

“Ooh,” giggled Aurora like this was the best game ever. She stood and lunged at Hayley, who immediately punched Aurora in the face and set her spinning away, her heels skidding on the floor.

“Where’s Rebekah?” Hayley snarled, kicking Aurora back. The redhead did not answer, and instead, tried to go for her again, but Hayley whacked her back with her forearm, sending her into the wall. “I’m gonna ask again— where is Rebekah?”

Aurora looked back at them, her nose bleeding. She wiped it off before raising an eyebrow. “You’re quite strong… for an infant.”

“Funny, you think I’m strong,” said Hayley with amusement. “Imagine what Beatrix is going to do to you.”

This did not seem to unsettle Aurora until Beatrix swept forward and put her in a chokehold, waving her palm in the air and causing Aurora’s face to break out in painful boils, making her let out a grunt of pain as she gasped for air.

She spun around and shoved Beatrix back, but Freya was ready, and thrust her hand out to make Aurora scream and clutch her head, her face downward as if to hide the boils on her face. She must have mustered all the energy she could, breaking through and lunging at Hayley, backhanding her across the face and dodging a strike to punch Beatrix, who recovered fast enough to join Freya in raising their arms to cast another spell on the girl’s brain, causing her to let out a loud cry of agony, falling to her knees.

When the two witches released the spell, Aurora took a few seconds to pant and recover, but she suddenly began to giggle loudly. “Woo!” she cried, as if she was having a good time. “Haha— that actually hurt! Oh, I haven’t felt pain since the 1700s! Kind of tickles!”

Beatrix glared at her. “Well, darling, we’re happy to deliver more of that.”

Aurora’s smile fell. “I think not.”

She lunged at her, but Hayley grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. “How about a werewolf bite, you psychotic little bitch?”

“By all means!” giggled the redhead. “If only I can laugh in your face when Nik heals me.”

Hayley kneed her in the stomach before shoving her back into the wall. Before she could get up, Beatrix moved her arms in a slashing motion, keeping Aurora immobilized.

“Yes, maybe Klaus would heal you,” the Heretic said sympathetically. “But… he wouldn’t heal your brother, would he? So maybe, Hayley can bite him instead.”

This obviously ticked her off. “No one should dare harm my brother— seeing as you’re all going to need him if you want your precious Rebekah back.”

Beatrix crossed her arms. “Ah, yes… and why is that? I did hear that you and your brother have the oddest relationship… he’s like, obsessed with you? Maybe back then it was an endearing sort of thing but now, we call that a mental illness.”

“You’d know all about mental illness, wouldn’t you, Heretic?” sneered Aurora. “You all think I’m crazy but I’m _nothing_ compared to you. Why, Nik told me all about your little tantrums and no humanity binge. I’ve never been weak enough to turn mine off. I deal with pain like a strong woman.”

Beatrix gritted her teeth. _Why had Klaus told her?_ “The thing is, darling, everytime I have one of my little episodes, I bounce back stronger. You? You’ll always be a conniving, snot-nosed little brat whose lover doesn’t want her anymore.”

Aurora’s eyes seemed to darken. “Really? Because that’s not what happened hours ago when I was in his bed instead of you. Lucien tells me you stabbed him in the back. You and I… we’re not so similar. At least I was being compelled by Elijah. You… did it off your own accord.”

Beatrix made to lunge at her, but Hayley held her back. “Tell us what you did to Rebekah!”

Aurora cast them an evil smile. “While I did ensure she was dropped in the ocean… I don’t know precisely where. I had some old friends do it for me… and then I killed them. I separated the coordinates… I got the latitude, and Tristan got the longitude. Put them together and X marks the spot! So, tell me, girls— who has the advantage now?”

The Heretic would have liked nothing more than to kill her and watch the maggots eat away at her body, but clearly, both Tristan and Aurora were needed alive for now.

“Longitude and latitude,” mused Lucien when they were forced to reunite at the table to discuss their findings, following Hayley’s departure to return to Jackson and Hope. “Lovely.”

“Well, despite our differences,” said Tristan, “I believe great strides were made today.” He held his glass toward his sister, who tapped hers in return. 

Elijah cast him a cold look. “Tristan, I can't murder you at this very moment, but I could just as easily tear those eyeballs from your skull and feed them to your sister.

“Elijah!” said Klaus sternly. “These are our guests.”

Aurora smiled. “Nik, it’s so sweet of you to defend us.”

The hybrid stood. “You know, I doubted my brother's wisdom in bringing us all together today, but he was right. We must confront the harsh realities we all face and make difficult choices to ensure our collective survival.”

Elijah, Freya, Lucien, and Beatrix shared a concerned look, because it seemed as though Klaus was going to side with the de Martels. How fucking fantastic.

“And I have every confidence that my choice,” he was saying, “will be the right one.”

In an instant, he’d snapped Tristan’s neck and come to stand beside Aurora, who’d gotten up with a gasp. “Were you anyone else,” he sneered at her, “the servants would already be mopping your blood from the floor. If you do not bring my sister home, Tristan will die slowly, and in tremendous pain.”

Aurora glared at him mutinously. “You betray me after all your promises of love?”

“I meant to keep those promises!” spat Klaus. “It was you who shattered them when you took Rebekah!” He lunged at her, coming right up in her face. “Now I have your brother— a sibling for a sibling. I want Rebekah back.”

Aurora sneered at him. “You will regret this.” In a state of rage, she swept her hands down the table, causing wine, food, and flowers to spill everywhere, some of the dishes breaking. A scream later, she’d stormed out of the compound.

“After everything today, you just let her go?” snarled Freya.

“Aurora should be easy enough to control,” said Elijah, who looked glad at this turn of events. “We have Tristan now.”

Klaus nodded and turned to Lucien. “You will take me to Camille, and you will surrender the medallion, or you will meet an end so cruel, the devil will weep.”

But before they could leave, Beatrix grasped Klaus’s arm. “You and I need to talk first,” she said sharply.

“I haven’t the time, Beatrix,” he said, shaking his hand away.

She grabbed him again. “You will now! Why the bloody hell did you tell Aurora about my issues? What right did she have to know? The only reason the lot of you know is because you bore witness! I chose to tell Lucien, I chose to reveal that to Kai long ago— you don’t just go about telling people about matters concerning me! That's my ruddy choice!"

Klaus cast her a hard look. “I haven’t the time,” he repeated, brushing his arm away and sweeping Lucien out of the compound.

Beatrix let out a frustrated growl, and Elijah pulled her away. “Pay him no heed,” he stated. “Niklaus is merely trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?” Beatrix scoffed. “ _Protect me?_ He’s been an arse to me!”

“Do you not see how Aurora reacted upon hearing Camille’s name?” Elijah said. “He is trying to keep her from discovering the bond between you two!”

“It’s not that serious, Elijah! We’re just friends, and he’s been ignoring me for awhile before this— before Aurora arrived!”

Elijah gripped her shoulders. “I want you, Beatrix,” he said bluntly. “I want you, but I am not good for you. Therefore, I withdrew myself, didn’t I, to ensure I won’t hurt you? Niklaus is doing the same. He knew she would arrive, at one point. And after what happened with Kai, he is not going to let himself harm you.”

“But—”

“Listen to me. My brother looks at you in a way I haven’t seen him look at another woman in a long time. Therefore, if my brother desires you, I will not stand in his way. He and Kai bear many similarities, and the one that stands out is that they never made you their second choice. You kept them both sane. And so, in his own way, Niklaus is trying to keep you sane. He had no right to tell Aurora what he did, but I believe he did it to not let her become aware of his feelings for you. By remaining distant, he has kept Aurora from hurting you as a method of revenge. If she were to learn how close you are—”

“Elijah, why do you all insist Klaus has feelings for me? If he did, he would tell me! He’s the type that takes what he wants— he doesn’t hide and play games! He's blunt!"

The Original shook his head. “I know my brother, Beatrix. I insist— he has grown fond of you once more. And I will not stand in the way of that. I wish to remain your friend, and I wish for you to be happy. Listen to me when I tell you— Niklaus is trying to protect you from the chaos that will erupt if you remain close to him. I don’t pretend to understand exactly what he intends to accomplish with this, but—”

His phone chimed, and he brought it out. His face paled as he read the message that appeared on the screen. “Camille is missing,” he stated, his voice softer.

Beatrix swallowed hard. “Aurora,” she breathed. "It.. has to be."

Elijah nodded gravely. “Do you see now, what I meant?”


	40. Chapter 40

**“We have to go after her!” Beatrix cried.**

“No,” said Elijah sharply. “Not you.”

“You think I’m going to be able to just sit here while Aurora has Cami?” shrieked Beatrix. 

“Do you not hear what I have been explaining?” he demanded. “Aurora is not to be toyed with, and she will certainly not hesitate to kill you if she comes across you.”

“I can take her! I have magic and she doesn’t!”

“And she is nearly seven hundred years older than you, and even without magic, will put up a fair fight!”

“So I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing?” 

“Not ‘nothing.’ After all, we have Tristan and will need him to find Rebekah. I’m certain you won’t mind helping to torture him.”

Beatrix gritted her teeth. “And what if I’d rather look for Cami? She shouldn’t be involved in all of this!”

“Niklaus and Marcellus will scour the city for her,” he assured her. “Not to mention Vincent Griffith and the other vampires will be more than willing to help if Marcel asks them to. She will not be left to harm. You needn’t worry.”

“How can’t I worry? You’re flaunting about how dangerous Aurora is—”

“She will kill you and Camille if you go near them!” he yelled. “If she learns that the both of you have captured Niklaus’s affections, she will not wait. She is playing a game, and I assure you, Camille will be found in one piece. You need to stay in this house. Occupy yourself on other things— do not try and go seek Aurora out.”

The Heretic growled lowly, but did not argue. “Good,” said Elijah more calmly. “You should rest Freya and I will make any necessary preparations in order to get Tristan talking.”

Beatrix huffed. “How am I expected to sleep after all of this? No, I’m going right now to help Freya prepare, so that we can find Rebekah quickly.”

Elijah caught her arm as she tried to brush past him, and removed her daylight ring, staring into her eyes to compel her. “Go and rest,” he demanded. “In the morning, you will meet us in the upstairs study. Fall asleep quickly.”

She had no choice. He handed her back the ring, and she glared back at him before going to do what she was told.

Were it not for his compulsion, it would have taken her forever to sleep. She would have been awake thinking of Klaus and the prospect of him having feelings for her. She would have been wracked with guilt, thinking that not so long ago, she’d lost Kai, and now, she was returning her thoughts to her long-hidden feelings for Klaus, which realistically had never fully dissipated.

Instead, she drifted off immediately. 

_“Beatrix, if you don’t come down in four seconds, I will rip your dress to shreds.”_

_She was down in three, casting Klaus a very offended look. “Excuse you, I happen to like this dress,” she said, turning in a circle. “Can’t rush this sort of fixing up.”_

_It was 1831 and they were off to a party, but Beatrix had been taking too long to get ready, according to Klaus. Her dress was a crimson chiffon, off the shoulder with puffed sleeves, falling down to her toes and barely hanging over the ground once she’d put on her shoes. She’d worn the jewelry that Klaus had gifted her— diamond earrings that flowed down her ears like honey and a diamond princess-style necklace that fit around her exposed throat and collarbones. She had done her makeup to bring out her rosy cheeks, and her hair, long and flowy at the time, was parted down the middle and tied back into an elegant bun, though several strands had been curled delicately beside her cheeks, grazing her shoulders when she turned her head._

_Klaus looked over at her, and his snappy retort was forgotten. He gazed up at her as she descended the staircase and found himself at a loss for words. She looked beautiful, and he found himself smiling. “You look ravishing, love,” he said, offering his arm. “Perhaps I’ll forgive you for taking so long.”_

_“Next time, maybe, you should help me get ready,” she said with a shrug. “You’re strong, you can help me tighten my corset.”_

_“Well, I’ll be rather bored after that, watching you carry on with your preparations.”_

_“You needn’t be. It’s not like I can’t talk while I get ready.”_

_Klaus came closer and put his hand under her chin. “Love, it’s not fun because watching you doll up just heightens my urge to tear everything off of you.”_

_She had turned as red as her dress. Without hesitation, she pulled him in for a hard kiss, and they ended up not attending the party. He had, in fact, ripped her dress to shreds that night while removing it from her body before slamming her onto his bed._

Beatrix woke in the morning, sweating from how vivid and dirty of a turn the memory had taken. She had gulped, embarrassed, as if someone was reading her mind, which of course, wasn’t true. Shaking her head quickly, she went to shower, forcing herself to tolerate the cold water.

She met Freya and Elijah in the upstairs study after she’d had a bite to eat. Freya was just finishing setting up a magical binding circle made of salt and herbs to trap Tristan, who was chained to a chair. 

“How did you sleep?” asked Elijah when he saw her.

She forced a blush to not rise in her cheeks. “Fine. No thanks to you.”

“At least, one proper night’s rest is better than none at all.”

Freya got up and dusted off her hands. “The spell is complete. Tristan cannot cross the boundary of his own will, but we can enter and leave as we please. I took the liberty of injecting him with hibiscus and mugwort to counteract any vervain in his system. All you have to do is compel him to give you the longitude of Rebekah's location.”

“He says he’s immune,” said Elijah.

“He’ll talk eventually,” said Beatrix. “What type of torture did you have in mind? What’s the procedure?”

“Devastate his body, infiltrate the mind, and steal the information we need. To that end, I've invited a friend.”

He beckoned toward the door for Hayley to come in, bouncing Hope on her hip. “Elijah. I got your text.”

The Original looked over at his niece. “Unless she’s violently teething, I don’t recommend this as a daycare…”

Hayley let out a sigh, looking saddened. “Jack's gone, and I don't know if he's coming back. I also really don't want to talk about it. So, which one of you will take Hope while I take out my anger on this pompous dick.”

Beatrix offered her arms to Hope, who reached over. Grateful, Hayley handed her over. “We can play with aunt Freya while your mama and Uncle Elijah have some fun torturing this bad man,” she told her. “That sound fun?”

Hope cooed in response, and Freya and Beatrix made their way to the Kenner apartment, which by now, Beatrix had been invited into. They set up a blanket on the floor and brought all of Hope’s toys, sitting on the floor with her.

“Do you know what’s the deal between Jackson and Hayley?” asked Freya. “I didn’t know they were having problems.”

“Me neither, but it’s no secret that Jackson grows cross often seeing Hayley coming to help so much. He doesn’t like your brothers at all. He might not mind you and Rebekah, but after the Davina thing with hijacking her spell, I think he’s been less and less inclined to try and get to know you all.”

Freya sighed. “I wish things were different. But the family has so many enemies and well, if Hayley wants to help… he can’t stop her. We’re related to her daughter. If she doesn’t help us, Hope can be in more danger.”

Beatrix peered down at her niece and stroked her hair affectionately. “We can’t have that, can we, darling?”

Hope babbled incoherently, though some words did come out at random. She crawled over to Beatrix and handed her a small bouncy ball. “Yes, thank you,” said Beatrix. “I will cherish this forever.”

Hope squealed and stood, walking over to Freya and pulling her into a hug. “I know, babygirl,” sighed Freya. “I love you, too. We’re sorry that your life is so complicated.”

“Hopefully, the complications will end, soon,” Beatrix offered even though Hope couldn’t really understand her. “All the enemies will go away, and you’ll get to be a normal little girl. Eventually, your biggest problem will be who to go to prom with and what dress to wear. Or, maybe, you’ll have a new identity by then— whatever you want. We’re trying to keep you safe so that you have the freedom to be who you want to be.”

Hope clapped. “Trix,” she said, making the Heretic smile. “Trix, Trix, Trix…”

“Don’t be flattered, maybe she means the cereal,” Freya teased.

Beatrix made a face and put Hope on her lap facing Freya. “Tell your mean Auntie Freya that you don’t mean the cereal.”

Hope giggled. “Fray!”

“See, at least she says my nickname correctly,” said Beatrix smugly. She paused for a bit to listen to what was going on. “Ooh. Tristan's yelling over there.”

“He deserves it,” said Freya, shaking her head. 

They played with Hope for about an hour afterward and put her to nap. The two women were looking out the window when an older woman entered the room, taking off her jacket.

“You must be the sister, Freya,” said the woman to the Mikaelson witch. She faced Beatrix. “And you, the Heretic. Jackson told me about you.”

“Er— hello,” said Beatrix. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Mary,” she answered. “I’m a Crescent. Closest thing your niece has to a great-grandmother. Figure she’s napping?”

Freya nodded. “That’s right.”

“And Hayley?”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “She’s across the street helping with a… teensy issue.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Was that Elijah’s idea?”

“Sort of, but Hayley was glad to help,” said Beatrix. “Nothing major, just a little problem. We’re making sure things don’t get out of hand.”

Mary seemed skeptical. “Well, you may both go— I can take care of Hope.”

Freya didn’t immediately concede. “Let me just call Hayley to make sure,” she said with a tight-lipped smile as she withdrew her phone and dialed Hayley’s number. It rang twice before she picked up.

“Everything alright?” asked Hayley, sounding slightly out of breath.

“All good,” said Freya. “There’s a woman here named Mary— Jackson’s grandmother? Is she good to take care of Hope by herself?”

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Beatrix heard Hayley say. “She’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s family. Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon.”

Only about a minute passed before Hayley was walking through the door, relieved. “Thank you, Freya, Beatrix,” she said, smiling at Mary. “I’ll take it from here.”

The two nodded and made their way back to the compound, finding Tristan already with two werewolf bites, looking pale and feverish. 

“Can you do a spell to weaken his mind?” asked Elijah immediately. Freya nodded and went over, putting her hands on his head and murmuring softly as she started to attack his brain. Tristan twitched and grunted, but said nothing.

“He’s as weak as I can make him,” said Freya after a few minutes. “If I push further, I might kill him.”

Tristan let out a hoarse gasp. “Weak as I am, you still won't take from me what you seek.”

Elijah strode over, and sighed dejectedly. “It's an unpleasant thing, delving into such a depraved and repellent mind.”

The man in the chair began to doze off, and Elijah kicked him hard in the foot. “Tristan, unless you'd like me to fetch the chainsaw, I recommend you give me what I seek.” He grasped him roughly by the head and started to go into his mind. He remained in for about four seconds before gasping and opening his eyes again.

“What did you see?” said Beatrix immediately.

Elijah did not answer immediately, panting for breath. “Just flashes. He's resisting, but still, There's something else. It was a word.” He looked down at Tristan and grabbed him by the face. “What was it, Tristan? Hmm? What is ‘Cepheus?’”

They all turned as Marcel strode into the room. “What's next? Charades? While you guys host the world's most messed-up game night, you got bigger problems.” 

Elijah glared at Marcel, annoyed. “Freya, would you mind dealing with this situation, please?”

“Oh, no offense to your lovely sister, but you and I need to talk,” said Marcel. “I'm here on behalf of The Strix, and I'm not leaving without Tristan.”

Elijah gritted his teeth. “Beatrix, come with us.”

Marcel didn’t object to this. The three walked down the hallway near the courtyard, and Elijah began to speak. “Elijah, look— the way I see it, you don't have a choice.”

The Original rolled his eyes. “Is that so?”

“How long before The Strix decide to come get their guy? And if they destroy half the Quarter in the process…”

Elijah cut him off. “I can handle the Strix.”

Marcel scoffed. “Oh, you can't even handle Tristan! He's about to OD on wolf venom, and the only thing that you can get out of him is-is Cepheus, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. The guy has been around for a millennium. He can withstand all your vampire mind-games. And if you end up killing him, we lose Rebekah for good.”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “What do you suggest then, Marcel? How else to we get him to tell us the truth? Are we to simply hand over this fiend and let him be free? His lunatic sister has Cami.”

Marcel sighed. “If I take Tristan, make it look like I busted him out, I get in tighter with him and The Strix. I can find out where Rebekah is and keep them from declaring war on the Quarter if you trust me. It could work.”

Beatrix looked up at Elijah, as if asking him to consider it, but he shook his head. “Beatrix, go and try a locator spell on Camille. We will figure this out with Aurora, and not the Strix.”

“Elijah, maybe we should hear Marcel out,” said Beatrix. “He already has the in with the Strix.”

“I will not release that filth,” he said coldly. “Go.”

Beatrix cast Marcel a sympathetic look before making her way to her room, rubbing her forehead. She walked in, and immediately, everything felt off. 

Too late. She whirled around just in time to be stabbed in the side with a piece of wood, making her cry out in pain and crumple down on the floor. She tried to wave her hand, but to no avail. Three Strix men were standing over her, and one brought down a little dart, sticking it into the side of her neck, and causing her to go unconscious.

**_**

When Klaus and Elijah didn’t find her in the evening, they were ready to fight each other.

“You mean to tell me,” snarled Klaus, “that you didn’t go and check on her after the Strix had infiltrated the compound?”

“She always puts Silencing Spells, Niklaus!” Elijah growled back. “I thought she’d gone to your aid, considering how much she wanted to help find Camille!”

“I swear, Elijah, if she comes to any harm—”

“Hello?”

They turned as a young girl came in. Her movements were almost robotic, as though she was compelled. She offered a camcorder to Klaus. “From The Strix,” she said, before walking out, now normally, as though her task had been fulfilled. 

The two brothers opened the camera, and saw a video had been filmed for them.

It showed Beatrix, tied up and gagged, the camera too close to show her surroundings. She was attached to an IV bag with a clear liquid— vervain. Her face was dirty with sweat, and her hair was in tangles. Her head was downcast, as though she was unconscious.

“Elijah Mikaelson,” came the familiar voice of Aya behind the camera. “Niklaus Mikaelson. I have here… Itza Beatrix La Salle, known by many other names. The Heretic who slaughtered seventy four Strix members after refusing to join the Strix Coven. After the ridiculous events that have taken place following the entrapment and torture of Tristan de Martel, we The Strix are no longer inclined to letting her slide by at your side, and intend to give you a taste of your own medicine. You will not have anymore access to this weapon.”

Klaus gritted his teeth. “She wouldn’t dare—”

There was a snapping sound, and Beatrix shot awake, letting out a croak. A pair of hands moved forward and removed the gag from her. Teary-eyed and looking to be in a lot of pain, she glanced at the camera. The gag had been so tight around her that her cheeks were bleeding, and she wasn’t healing with the vervain in her system.

Aya seemed to open a window somewhere behind and suddenly, Beatrix let out a scream of pain, her face beginning to burn. The window shut, and the Heretic whimpered, shaking her head. “N-No!” she snarled. “I-I w-won’t— w-won’t join!”

“Foolish girl,” came the voice of Tristan. “Here we are, ready to pardon you, so long as you join the Coven, and yet you refuse. We offer you a position that will ensure no harm comes to Niklaus or Elijah.”

“I-I said— n-no,” she spat. “L-Liars— liars—”

Someone came and stood in front of the camera and Beatrix let a howl of pain. The person did not move until they’d made a large gash on her cheek, which would not easily heal. “We ask again that you join,” insisted Tristan. “It’s simple, really. Your lover wanted to torture me to get Rebekah’s location. He got it. Now, he has the advantage, with a little witch like you on his side. We will not allow it after the behavior that they carried out today. Join the Coven, and be released.”

“W-Won’t,” she hissed. “W-Won’t help y-you…”

“Last chance before we take your magic.”

Elijah went rigid as Beatrix shook her head. “Y-You can’t… c-can’t take it… I-I have to give… it up…”

“Oh, you will give it up. Perhaps we should alter our request. We aim to acquire the Serratura. It is in the hands of Niklaus Mikaelson.”

“W-Won’t get it f-for you e-either,” snapped Beatrix. “Y-You’ll have to k-kill me.”

Tristan chuckled. “Well, at least, you and I are similar in our relentless nature. I can’t believe… you refuse to betray the Mikaelsons. Marcel did it so easily.”

Beatrix swallowed hard, blood dripping down her face. “H-He hasn’t known t-them as l-long as I h-have,” she muttered. “D-Doesn’t… know…”

“We do not wish further harm to come to you. Marcel is vouching for your safety. We want your loyalty, either through joining our Coven, or bringing the Serratura to us. Your choice.”

“N-Neither,” Beatrix hissed. “N-Never…”

The camera moved back ever so slightly as Tristan came forward, and turned to the camera beside Beatrix. “One of our witches dug into her mind,” he stated. “I think, you both should find it familiar what we’ll be doing to her.”

He plunged his hand into Beatrix’s chest and she let out a terrified scream, her eyes rolling back as she tried to stay calm— to no avail. Both brothers felt guilt wracking through their bodies— they had both put her in a similar pain before. Beatrix sobbed as Tristan held her heart, handing her a piano key, though not the same one she usually put her magic in. The Heretic shook her head and he forced it into her hand. He started to tug a bit on her heart, and out of fear, she caved, going limp as she drained the magic into the piano key.

Tristan released her heart and held the key up. “You’ll find this piano key, still with its magic inside, tucked inside the camcorder,” he announced. “After all, she’s going nowhere. When she chooses to concede, you can bring the magic back to her so that you may retrieve her before she begins serving us.”

He stepped away from the camera, and the lens zoomed in on Beatrix, who could scarcely breathe, blood all over her shirt. She looked up at the camera and shook her head. “D-Don’t… d-don’t come,” she begged. “D-Don’t c-come for m-me…”

“What is she saying?” said Klaus harshly. “How can she demand that of us?”

“P-Please,” she insisted. “W-Won’t d-do it… I-I’ll... g-get out… o-on my own…” she swallowed hard and blinked tears of pain from her eyes. “D-Don’t… w-waste time… m-more… i-important t-things…” she choked and shook her head. “G-Get B-Bex. K-Keep… S-Serratura…”

The screen went dark, and the piano key clattered to the floor as Klaus shattered the camera with his fist.


	41. Chapter 41

**Beatrix was trapped with the Strix for nearly a month.**

One agonizing month of torture. Every other day, they pumped her full of vervain, the IV pushing more into her if she struggled against the binds. 

On the days the vervain wasn’t being pumped in, they tortured her. They sliced and beat her, wanting her to submit, but she never did. In fact, she wouldn’t even speak. She just grunted in pain, but mostly tried not to scream. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

Every Saturday, she’d get to rest. No vervain and no torture. But she knew that was only so that she could heal up in order for them to do it again. They didn’t want to kill her just yet.

Without her magic, she healed slower. She had less strength, and with the already limited food that they gave her, she was growing weaker every day. They gave her a single drop of blood every morning, just so that she wouldn’t dessicate. But it was nowhere near enough.

They hadn’t come to save her, and she’d been thankful. How could she vividly tell them that she had heard them saying that anyone who tried to save her would be imprisoned with her, if not killed? She had said there were more important things, which there were, but her true fear lay in the fact that if anyone dared to try and help her, they might all fall victim to the Strix.

The others had been unsuccessful in finding her, either way. Tristan had specifically kept the information from Marcel. Locator spells did not work, not with Beatrix’s magic away from her to keep her cloaked better. They couldn’t recognize where she was from the background of the video— not even when Freya fixed the film.

They taunted her often enough to rile her up, but after the first week, she no longer let their words get to her. She hardly acknowledged when they came into the room with her. She was tempted to turn off her humanity once more— just for a chance to escape. But without her daylight ring, still infused with vervain and wolfsbane, she could only hope to get out at night, which was impossible, considering someone was always guarding her. 

One morning, on a day they were supposed to torture her, the Strix failed to show up. Hours after they were meant to have brutally cut into her, they dragged in two bodies with bags over their heads, forcing them into chairs and connecting IV bags, though they held wolfsbane instead.

When they removed the bags, Beatrix gave a hoarse gasp.

“Recognize them, do you?” said Tristan plainly when the unconscious heads of Hayley and Jackson lolled to the side. “They’ll wake up soon, and you can have a civil conversation. They haven’t tried to rescue you after your little warning, so we needed more… leverage.”

Hayley and Jackson were both covered in blood and bruises, and Jackson’s leg in particular was bleeding quite a bit. Beatrix didn’t dare speak as the Strix left. She stared at the two, wondering how the hell they managed to snatch them up.

Jackson was the first to wake, half an hour later. He started to struggle against the shackles on his wrists, but Beatrix coughed and waved for him to stop. “Don’t,” she whispered hoarsely. “It’ll pump you with more wolfsbane.”

The wolf was shocked to see her. “B-Beatrix?” he whispered quietly. “What—”

“W-What day is it?” she whispered. “What day?”

“The— the twenty sixth, I-I think. December.” 

The Heretic gave a harsh sigh and let her head fall back. “O-Okay… listen… I d-don’t have my m-magic…” she felt herself starting to cry. “I-I’m so sorry, I can’t protect you.”

Jackson shook his head weakly. “Not… your fault. I’m sorry. We didn’t save you.”

“I-I said n-not to,” she breathed. “D-Don’t blame yourself.”

“Hayley and I wanted to. We— we were gonna get the wolves to h-help.”

“J-Jackson,” she said weakly. “I-It’s okay. I-I’m fine.”

“No you’re not. We saw the video. And it’s been a month.”

“I-I’ve dealt with w-worse pain.”

He let out a raspy cough. “Have you?”

She nodded slowly, her neck aching just from the movement. “P-Physical pain… p-passes. E-Emotional pain… is worse.”

There was a small gasp as Hayley awoke. Immediately, she began to struggle against her binds, but Jackson and Beatrix both motioned for her to stop. “Beatrix,” she murmured. “You’re here… you’re alive…”

“I’m f-fine,” she said reassuringly, though it was not true.

Hayley looked around, still semi-dazed. Her eyes fixated on the pool of blood under Jackson’s leg. “Jack, your leg— are you okay?”

He let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, they worked me over pretty good… with all the… the wolfsbane in my system, I ain’t healing so well.”

Hayley shuddered, and tried to be calm. “Just… just breathe. When we get a chance to fight, be ready.”

Jackson shook his head. “Hayley. Hayley, listen. I don’t know if I’m gonna get that chance—”

“Stop,” said Hayley sharply. “We’re gonna get out of here, Jack. The three of us— we can take them.”

“I love you,” said Jackson, looking at her affectionately, his eyes brimming with tears. “Okay? I’ve… I’ve always loved you.”

“Don’t—” Hayley began.

“When I first say you, I broke,” he whispered. “You broke me, and nothing has ever been the same since. I just want you to know that it was all real. Every moment, every touch, every word…”

Tristan chose this moment to come back into the room, clapping mockingly. “How absolutely darling! Or pathetic. I suppose it’s all relative.”

Hayley sneered up at him. “You let us out of here, or so help me, I will kill you!”

Tristan rolled his eyes. “Hmmm. Somehow, I doubt it. I mean, this Heretic here, even without her magic, is much older than you, and she’s stood no chance.” He dipped down to Hayley’s level. “I've been pondering this moment since you tortured me—”

Hayley interrupted him with an angry grunt, struggling desperately to break out of her shackles.

“—what’s the best way to truly hurt a hybrid?” he continued. “Surely, not the meager torture methods we used on the witch here. And then… it came to me.”

He grabbed Jackson by the hair and yanked his head back, plunging his hand into his chest, eliciting a groan of pain from Jackson, and a scream from Hayley. “NO!” she screamed. “NO!”

“T-Tristan— STOP!” cried Beatrix as loud as she could muster. “K-Kill m-me instead!”

He shook his head and tore out Jackson’s heart, causing Beatrix to let out a scream— though hers was nowhere near as loud as Hayley’s.

It reminded Beatrix of how she’d reacted when Kai had been killed. Hysteria, fury, and grief meshed into one, and all one could do was scream. “AHHH!” screamed Hayley thrashing in her seat. “NO! NO! AHH— AHHH— AHHH!”

Tristan cast her a look chock-full of sadistic mirth as Hayley began to hyperventilate, her eyes wild and her screams fueled with pain. He faced Beatrix and smirked malevolently— the Heretic was crying, head turned away to not see Jackson’s eyes wide open. 

“Dear, were it not for the fact that your lover was already dead, we would have killed him right in front of you, just like this,” he crooned maliciously. He beckoned for his Strix to follow him out of the room, and Hayley let out a series of shaky sobs.

Beatrix could just barely hear what Tristan was saying, but she knew it had to do with Jackson’s heart, which was still in his hand. “Get a box ready,” he said. “Write a note. Send this to the Mikaelson compound.”

She shook her head angrily, squeezing her eyes shut. 

For a while, all Hayley could do was cry. Her mouth trembled, wanting to speak, but no words would come out. It was clear she couldn’t breathe from how much wolfsbane was in her system, but she wouldn’t stop struggling against the shackles. She was in disbelief, and she couldn’t look up at the body for more than a few seconds at a time. 

Beatrix wished there were a way to comfort her. She wished there was a way to make time turn back. A way to change the outcome. But how could one lessen such pain? Beatrix had practically lost her mind when Kai died, and even now, that pain hadn’t fully subsided. This terrible event was bringing back the memory of what Damon Salvatore had done. It reignited the murderous desire to skin Bonnie Bennett alive. And now, she was expected to study and go back to Mystic Falls to help Caroline? For the sake of redemption?

“J-Jack,” Hayley whimpered between tears once she could finally speak. “I’m so s-sorry… I never s-should have brought a-any of this into y-your life… I was so s-selfish… I never met a-anyone who was always j-just there for me. Y-You… you let me feel what i-it is to b-be l-loved…” she choked and shook her head before looking up at him, her voice as steady as she could muster it to be. “But I will make them suffer for this, I promise you. I will make all of them suffer.”

She burst into tears once more, and all Beatrix could do was gulp and shake her head. 

A terrible few hours passed just listening to Hayley crying and muttering to herself, trying to make sense of things. The hybrid shook, wolfsbane being pumped in continuously from how much she was moving. All the Heretic could do was lean back and close her eyes, trying to burn out the memory of Jackson’s death. Brutal and wrong. Jackson had never done harm to anyone— not the way the Mikaelson’s had. He was terrible collateral damage. He had not deserved to die. Beatrix couldn’t imagine how they were going to tell Mary...

When the doors opened again, Hayley’s face was stiff with tears, and Beatrix could barely feel her limbs. Wordlessly, two Strix members came and each pumped the rest of the vervain and wolfsbane into the women, before another pair came in and unshackled both. They placed different shackles on them— heavier ones, then picked them up and took them out of the room they were in, carrying them to the back of a car and laying them beside each other. 

They were barely conscious, but looked at each other sadly, comforted at least by the other’s presence while the car bumped along the roads. Beatrix weakly reached her hand to Hayley, taking her fingers and squeezing them as tightly as she could muster, which was really more of a small tap with how little strength she had. 

When the car stopped, they were yanked out, and the brightness of light inside of a warehouse they were in blinded both. They were shoved forward in front of Elijah and Klaus, but neither woman could stand on their own, and thus, they collapsed onto their knees.

“Hayley Marshall-Kenner, only slightly worse for wear. You'll have to forgive her if she seems a bit off. There's enough wolfsbane in her system to kill an entire pack,” said Tristan from behind them. “However, here she is, as requested.”

He came over and put his hands on Beatrix’s shoulders, making her nearly sink fully to the ground. “Itza Beatrix La Salle, uncooperative as ever but still alive, despite quite a bit of damage. She’s got quite a bit of vervain in her system, so she might be a little… droopy.” He nudged at her cheek ever so slightly, and Beatrix’s knees gave out, causing her to fall completely to the floor, closing her eyes to avoid the light. “Now, where’s my sister?”

“She lives,” sneered Klaus from above her. “You can thank Elijah for that. I wanted to flay her and hang her skin as a flag. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Let's conclude this tedious business, shall we?”

“My sister first,” demanded Tristan. “And, if you're tempted to argue, consider the numbers.”

Beatrix forced her eyes open as Klaus walked backward toward a rusty green shipping contained. He opened the door and revealed Aurora was inside, sitting with her wrists bound and a black hood over her head.

“If they try anything, attack,” she heard Tristan say. He then sped into the contained toward Aurora, removing the hood. She started to wake, and smiled up at him. “Oh, brother, you came for me.”

“Always,” he whispered. He pulled her to her feet. “Come on… come on…”

As they embraced, the redhead reached into his pocket and extracted none other than the Serratura. She yanked herself out of the hug, ignoring the confused look on Tristan’s face and slapping the Serratura against the shipping contained wall, causing the whole building to tremble. Tristan looked horrified. “No… Aurora… what have you done to us?”

“Not to us,” she said sympathetically, walking out of the container. “To you.”

And then, suddenly, it was no longer Aurora standing there, rather, Cami. She glared at Tristan, who was shocked. “What is this?”

“You know what they say,” said Cami. “Payback’s a bitch.”

“How is this possible?” breathed Tristan, the Strix tittering nervously all around. 

Klaus had a smug look on his face, apparently having been awaiting this moment. “The Serratura creates an impenetrable boundary. Nothing living or dead can pass through.”

“And, thanks to your lunatic sister,” said Cami, “I'm neither.”

Tristan obviously didn’t like the idea of being trapped. “No— no— NO!” He looked around at the Strix. “What are you waiting for? Take them! NOW!”

They were about to obey— Beatrix could sense them moving forward, but Elijah came forth and pulled her and Hayley to their feet, holding them protectively in his arms so that they could stand. “Before you rush headlong toward almost certain death…” he began, “as your sire, I would like you to employ just a little bit of common sense.”

Aya scoffed across from them. “We are ancient vampires, Elijah— each of us almost as strong as you.”

Elijah shrugged. “You might almost be successful in subduing us, but at what price? Most of you will die in the process, and for what? To avenge a fool marching you headlong toward your very extinction in the name of a witch's prophecy? You do realize he engineered absolutely all of this purely to satisfy some petty grievance against my family?” He released the two women, who grabbed onto each other for support. Walking toward the shipping container, he cast a fake smile to Tristan, leaning menacingly on the metal door. “Tristan doesn’t care for any of you.”

“Stop listening to them!” Tristan fumed from the container.

“The only danger here is the choice that you must make,” continued Elijah. “You see, I am not your enemy. It's true, I delivered you into this existence. I can just as easily pluck you out of it. The choice is yours to make.”

It would appear his words had had no effect, because as Beatrix let her head turn slightly, she could see Aya didn’t look about to stand down. Marcel moved to stand in front of her, and she barely heard him whispering in her ear, “It's done. The moment has passed. Be smart, Aya. Smarter than Tristan. Don't waste any more of our guys.”

Though Aya did not seemed pleased at having to acknowledge Marcel was right, she turned back to the rest of the vampires. “Stand down,” she commanded.

This only infuriated Tristan. “You will not abandon me!”

Aya strode toward the container. “It's a shame it has to end like this.”

Tristan’s eyes widened in fury. “Aya, this isn’t over!” 

She simply placed her right hand over her heart. “May the ghosts of our fallen keep you company.”

Beckoning for the others to follow her, the Strix made to leave the warehouse. “Aya!” yelled Tristan angrily. “Aya! AYA!”

Elijah came back and held Hayley and Beatrix up. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

They both shook their heads. Beatrix looked over at Klaus, who was speaking to Cami, who was walking (more like wobbling) away from him. 

“Where are you going?” he demanded. “Are you so eager to die?”

“I’m already dead,” Cami answered.

“Well, at least let me thank you,” Klaus insisted.

Cami seemed to be angry at this. “Do not mistake me helping your family with forgiveness for what you tried to do! My choice in this is the only thing I have left, and no one is taking that away from me. You need to get that.”

Klaus blocked her way. “Camille, I'm begging you. Don't leave me.”

She cast him a look and brushed past him. Elijah beckoned Klaus over, which made him frown. “I won’t let her die,” he muttered as Cami left. 

“If you care for her, you will let her choose,” said Elijah. 

Beatrix let out a hoarse gulp. “Is she—?”

“In transition?” said Klaus a bit harshly. “Yes! And I will not lose her because of your stupid principles, Elijah!”

Elijah pursed his lips. “Allow her the dignity of this choice, Niklaus. You force her, you lose her forever.”

Klaus gritted his teeth and moved forward to Beatrix, pulling her to be more upright, leaning against him as they approached Tristan, who looked resigned to his fate. “So, this is to be my end?”

Elijah cast him a patronizing smile. “No, no. This is the very beginning! You are going to the bottom of the ocean, where you will drown in darkness again and again and again over the course of centuries. This will be your splendidly horrific and perpetual end.”

“What have you done with my sister?” he demanded.

Klaus smiled at this. “Nothing... yet. But, I assure you, her death will be spectacular.”

Elijah moved to close the container door, but Hayley staggered forward, urging them to wait as she moved forward to look Tristan in the eye. “You took a very good man from this world,” she said venomously. “He will be with me forever… but you? You will be forgotten. And as you rot in the ocean, remember my face. Because it's gonna be the last one you ever see.”

She slammed the container door shut in his face.

They made their way out of the warehouse. Hayley let out a shaky sob. “W-We need… w-we need a proper f-funeral for J-Jackson.”

“I will retrieve the body,” said Elijah. “We received the address where you were being kept.”

“I will take them home,” said Klaus, which his brother nodded to. Elijah sped off, and Klaus gripped both women’s hands before speeding away. 

Hayley had healed (physically) by the time they arrived to the Mikaelson Compound. The wolfsbane was purged from her system, and with minimal injuries, she felt better. Beatrix, on the other hand, could still not want properly.

“I-I’m going to bathe,” said Hayley quietly when they got there. “For… the funeral later.”

Beatrix nodded as she left, and leaned against Klaus. “I-I think I-I’m going to n-need help,” she managed weakly. “Y-You can tell F-Freya, if you don’t w-want to…”

“Nonsense,” Klaus muttered. “I can do it.”

First, he let her bite into his wrist, drinking some blood so that she might feel better. He retrieved one of her blood bags and let her drink that next as he helped her to undress. He turned on the shower and left the door open as he helped run the water over her body, her wounds healing now little by little as he helped to gently scrape the dirt and dried blood from her body. 

He held her steady to wash her hair, and soaped her down, not scrubbing until all her wounds had disappeared. When she was cleaned, he draped a robe around her, tying it loosely to not hurt her as he brought a towel to dry her hair. He helped her back into her room and helped her lotion her body, going to her closet to bring out some clothes for her. Though she was able to move on her own again, he made sure to help her until all that was left to do was her makeup.

“I’m sorry about Cami,” said Beatrix softly when he helped her settle into the chair in front of her vanity. “I know you care for her.”

Klaus simply turned away from her. “I thought Aurora had gotten you killed,” he murmured. “I thought you were no longer alive. When I found out Camille was in transition, and when she refused to feed off of human blood… I thought I’d lost you both. I…”

He trailed off, and Beatrix winced. “You have to respect her choice, Klaus. She will do what’s best for her. And even if it’s terrible to think that she will let herself die… you have to know that it doesn’t mean she didn’t care for you, too. It just means that she didn’t want to be a vampire. And no one has the right to take that away from her.”

He let his palm rest against the wall. “What would you have done?” he murmured quietly. “If someone told you before you drank from that carton, what would happen?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know. I might not have done it. After all, everyone knew up until then that witches lost their powers if they turned. I didn’t learn until after I left that for me, this would not be the case.”

Klaus came back toward her, standing behind her and glancing at her through the mirror. “Do you regret this?” he murmured. “Any of what happened between us?”

“I don’t regret it,” she said honestly, turning back in her chair to look him in the eyes. “You’re a lovable person, Klaus. Cami may not be willing to turn into a vampire, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t care for you the way I did.”

“Did?” he whispered, crouching down to her level. “Or do?”

She blushed. “You know I still care for you, Klaus. But I meant—”

“I know what you meant. And I was asking if you cared about me like you did before. In that same manner.”

She looked away. “Those types of feelings don’t just go away. But I don’t want to get in the way of you and Cami.”

“Beatrix,” he whispered. “There’s no getting in the way. She and I are very good friends. Nothing more. We discussed it. After what Aurora did, there would have been no hope for us. She… has encouraged me to pursue you. She believes you will be good for me.”

He slipped his hand into his pocket and handed her the piano key. She took it, and encompassed it in her palm, feeling a rush as the magic flowed back into her body.

He chose that moment to kiss her, and she did not pull away. 


	42. Chapter 42

**Their lips disconnected after a few moments.**

Beatrix had her eyes closed. Klaus’s palm came to her neck, and he sighed quietly, resting his forehead against hers.

“I’m not ready for anything more than this,” she whispered. “I… I won’t lie. I do want to, but it’s… it feels wrong. I feel like I’m betraying Kai by moving on so fast. I still haven’t forgotten the pain of losing him. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that I can’t bring him back.”

Klaus pulled away. “You and Davina seek to bring back Kol,” he said quietly. “Why not him? The last thing I want is to stop you from being with the man you desire. It may hurt me but I will not ruin you. I won’t let myself.”

“It-It’s not possible. Kol died as a witch and he is in the Ancestral plane— he can be resurrected. Kai can’t. And I don’t think he should be. I just need time to feel better about everything, Klaus. When I’m ready, I will tell you. And if you’re still interested, then I will come to you.”

He offered her a small smile. “Take your time, love,” he whispered. 

At the funeral later, they did not discuss their exchange. Klaus and Beatrix stood near the back, behind the pack of Crescent wolves. Near the front, Hayley, dressed in black, was writing Jackson’s name in the Labonair Bible. She stood and went toward the lake, where Jackson’s body had been retrieved and wrapped in white sheets, resting on a wooden boat. 

Hayley began to sob as she looked over the body, and out of instinct, Beatrix reached for Klaus’s hand, squeezing it. He said nothing, but let his thumb graze over the back of her hand in a comforting gesture. Taking a bottle of whiskey, Hayley drank from it before pouring it over the body once she had finished whispering her goodbyes. She took a torch from Elijah, who had taken it from one of the wolves, and the body was set ablaze.

“Til death do us part,” Beatrix heard Hayley whisper as the body was released down into the waters of the bayou.

Beatrix let go of Klaus’s hand. “You should go check on Cami,” she whispered. “She’ll need you. I’m going to go pack a night bag… I think Hayley might need some company at her apartment tonight.”

“Of course,” he whispered. He sped away, and Beatrix moved forward as the Crescent wolves began to disperse. She came to Hayley and put her hand on her shoulder, rubbing her back gently. Hayley began to cry once more, and pulled Beatrix into a hug.

When she was ready to return to her apartment, Beatrix accompanied her. Wordlessly, she helped change Hope’s diaper and got her ready for bed, allowing Hayley to go curl up on her bed. The Heretic went to peer out the window toward the Mikaelson Compound, listening to a distant conversation between Klaus and Elijah: Cami had transitioned, and Klaus had given her a daylight ring to use in the morning.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep,” said Hayley’s voice behind her. She turned, and saw that Hayley had wrapped her blanket around herself. She came to sit in front of the balcony, holding up a bottle of bourbon. “Drink with me?”

Beatrix offered her a smile. “Sure. I’ll go get us a couple of glasses.”

She returned with two, and Hayley poured them both a serving. They clinked their glasses together and drank. 

The first few hours into the night, they did not speak. They took careful sips from the bourbon, listening to the sounds of the city. Hayley had her eyes closed as though deep in thought, and Beatrix did not think to disturb her. She entertained herself waving her hand over the bottle of bourbon, making shapes and little people out of the liquid, having them move around and do cartwheels inside the bottle.

“No wonder you turned your humanity off,” whispered Hayley at around two in the morning. “This… is terrible.”

“Don’t think about that,” said Beatrix sternly. “It’s not the way to go. You have your little girl to think of.”

Hayley pursed her lips. “Can you at least… tell me what it’s like?”

The Heretic hesitated before beginning to speak. “At first, it feels amazing. You feel free and you don’t feel strong emotions. Everything can be entertaining. But there is also a lingering tug of darkness. Any vampire with their humanity off knows that what they’re doing is wrong. A lot of them choose to never listen to it, and eventually, they no longer pay attention to it. It’s like… this inherent little mechanism that reminds you that your humanity is off. A lot of vampires turn it off for only brief periods of time, mediated. That tug lets them check in on themselves. For some, it can be very therapeutic.”

“However,” she continued, emphasizing this, “for us, it doesn’t work like that. We’re hybrid creatures that are more unnatural and dark than most. We have more power. And thus, without our humanity, we are much more dangerous. I did some horrible things when mine was off. Sick, disgusting, horrible things. I killed my half-sister, you know?”

Hayley shook her head. “I-I didn’t know that. Elijah told me… about the bodies. The murders. But not that.”

Beatrix sighed. “I was so consumed with the idea of not feeling that even when the tug told me to hold back, I didn’t. I murdered my sister in cold blood and now, I will never know her. She will only ever be a memory. It took a very specific effort from Klaus and Freya to get me to turn it back on. The pain afterward is the worst. It’s ten times worse than the pain you felt initially— the pain that made you want to turn it off. Because guilt becomes a plague— you recall all the things you did when it was off and you see yourself in the mirror and it’s a cruel sight. You hate yourself. So… don’t think of it. Don’t you dare turn it off.”

“I won’t,” she promised. “Thank you… for that.” She let out a soft sigh of her own. “How did you recover from it?”

“I haven’t yet. It takes a lot of time. I knew Kai for almost two decades, and though I didn’t love him the entire time, it’s not the kind of thing that just fades away. As much as I hate to think it, I have to constantly remind myself that what we did that day— trying to kill the twins, killing Jo, killing the Gemini Coven— that was really wrong. It didn’t matter what pain they caused us. It was not the right thing to do. Kai…”

She paused for a bit to gather her thoughts before continuing. “Kai was a sociopath. And even though he loved me, we were a volatile combination. We brought out the darkness in each other. Our relationship wasn’t pure, and I can’t fool myself into thinking it was. Yes, deep down, I believe he was good, and he showed me that numerous times, but overall, he… he did some very terrible things that he didn’t deserve redemption for. His presence and influence got me to do things that I knew were bad, and yet, I went along with it. So… even though it hurts, I know that I can’t spend my time wallowing in it. I haven’t admitted that to anyone else yet because I feel evil thinking it. I feel downright evil thinking that Kai doesn’t deserve to be alive anymore. But it’s the truth. I don’t deserve to be alive either. I know that.”

Hayley shook her head. “Don’t say that, Beatrix,” she said. “Jackson… he always told me how much he admired you. You were put through hell and your priority was my daughter. You may have done some bad things, but at the end of the day, you will die to protect Hope and this family. Kai wasn’t like that. He egged you to help murder innocent people. He didn’t try to change and be good. He wasn’t going to be able to change. You raised Marcel, you helped raise Hope, you have done so much good for many people. I think you’re a much better person than you realize. Jack knew that. He reminded me of that everyday when I thought I hated you. He’s the one that got me to apologize. He forced me to set aside my selfishness and realize that I shouldn’t have been treating you the way I was.”

“Jackson… was such a good man,” Hayley whispered. “And I know he will always be with me. I just… I don’t know how I can live in this world without him.”

“It will hurt so badly to come to terms with this,” Beatrix murmured. “He deserved so much better than what he got. But he will have peace. He will watch over you and he will… he will get to see Ollie and Aiden again… I know that. He won’t be alone. He died a good man, and no one will ever forget him. I’m so sorry we couldn’t save him.”

Hayley crawled over to her and pulled her into another hug, beginning to cry once again.

At around sunrise, Hope began to cry. Beatrix patted Hayley’s shoulder and went to attend to her. When she came back with the little girl in tow, smiley and ready to start her day, the two women glanced toward the compound and saw Cami making her way out of the entrance below. 

“She’s going to struggle as a vampire, isn’t she?” whispered Hayley as she took Hope in her arms. “She’s… she’s not going to actually like this.”

Beatrix shook her head. “She won’t struggle, not if we help her…”

When daylight came, they went over to the Mikaelson Compound, finding that Klaus and Elijah were discussing Cami, having realized she was gone.

“She left around sunrise,” Hayley announced as they came in. “My guess is she needed some air?” Seeing the saddened looks the two Mikaelsons gave her, she added, “I couldn’t sleep. Beatrix and I saw her leaving from my balcony.”

She paused and fidgeted a bit. “I was wondering, if maybe it was okay… if Hope and I stay here a few days?”

“Of course you may,” Elijah whispered. “Beatrix, may I have a word?”

“Sure,” she said, following him out of the room.

“How is she?” he whispered.

“Not good,” she said. “We had a talk. It’s gonna take some time. Jackson was someone very near and dear to her heart.”

Elijah sighed and leaned against the wall, and Beatrix put her hand on his shoulder. “You know it’s okay to love her, right?” she murmured. “You don’t need to stop loving her on my accord.”

The Original was conflicted. “Itza—”

“Shh,” she said, putting her finger over his lips. “Let me go on. I… I wished things would go back to the way they were. But it’s complicated. And after all this time, I respect it. I know you chose me, in the end, but I don’t think the timing is right. I want to believe you and I are meant to be but if that doesn’t happen, then I just want both of us to be happy. That’s what we both deserve. If we can only be friends, that will be fine with me. I believe we are soulmates. The timing hasn’t been right, and it’s okay for you to love her. She will need you, and I know she still cares deeply for you. Don’t push her away for my sake. If she makes you happy, you should be with her.”

He looked down at her sadly. “All I do is hurt you. All I do is continue making things complicated…”

“Elijah, I want you and Hayley to be together,” Beatrix insisted. “I see how you look at each other. You two work together. I like seeing you together. I’m not yet over Kai and either way… well… last night, Klaus kissed me.”

Elijah looked away. “He told me,” he murmured. “I want my brother to be happy. And if it is with you, then so be it. We both want what’s best for you. We will not fight for women as we did in the past— that only brings sorrow. Niklaus needs you. He needs your influence to be a better man. You two together were a very good combination. You and I, even if we are soulmates, do not mesh together as perfectly as we should.”

“And in that sense, we are soulmates platonically, not romantically,” said Beatrix. “I truly believe that even if we aren’t in love, we share a connection deeper than anyone else. Soulmates can be friends, too. I care for your brother, Elijah. I’m just not ready to be with him, or with anyone else.”

He moved forward and took her face in his hands. “When you are ready, you should be with him. He will not push you aside. He loves you, Itza. I know it. You two will be healthy for each other. You deserve to be happy.”

She placed her hands on top of his. “So do you. Be with Hayley. Don’t think of me. Devote yourself to her. I will be okay.” She tiptoed and kissed his cheek. “If the timing is ever right for us again, we will know. For now, let’s not force it. We’ll be okay no matter what.”

She pulled away as her phone chimed. Looking over the screen, she cleared her throat. “Davina needs my help with something. Let me know if anything major happens, alright?”

“Of course,” said Elijah, though he caught her arm just before she left. “I love you, Beatrix.”

“And I love you, Elijah,” she breathed. “Even if we’re not together, that love runs deeper than attraction. I firmly believe we’re soulmates. I love you as a friend. As family. And maybe, one day, as a partner.”

She sped away before he could answer, and arrived at St. Anne’s Church, finding Davina and Josh in the attic.

“Hey,” said Beatrix. “What’s going on?”

“Davina’s considering joining the Strix Coven,” Josh answered. “Tell her she’s crazy.”

The Heretic glared at the younger witch. “Is this true? Have— have you learned nothing from what I’ve told you about them? They’re dangerous! Twice they’ve tormented me to try and make me join that Coven. They killed Jackson!”

“I wouldn’t be joining unless it was important,” Davina promised. She handed her a piece of paper. “Aya gave me that. A Resurrection Spell to bring Kol back. If I join, I can have the power to bring him back. I just want him to check it over, first, so I’m planning to go into the Ancestral plane to see him. If it’s legit, then I can join, and I… I can be an asset to the Mikaelsons, or something! Marcel won’t let them hurt me, I know that.”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “If you’re going in to talk to him, I’m going with you. Kol taught me the darkest forms of magic that I know, including things having to do with the Strix Coven. Maybe together, we can convince you not to go through with this.”

“Fine,” said Davina, turning to Josh to explain to him. “It’s just a simple suspension spell. The poison stops my heart and the spell keeps me from dying for good.” She handed some of the poison to Beatrix, who held the flask in her hand. 

“Cool,” said Josh sarcastically. “Yeah, now I'm totally on board. Uh, just except for the part about the poison, your heart, and whatever you said at the end there about dying. You two are like, the most powerful witches I know, and now, I have to keep you both from dying? How is that going to work?”

“Well, we’ll pop over and back, channeling your power,” said Davina.

Josh shook his head. “No— no— that’s not a good idea. You want to go into spooky witch purgatory to find your dead boyfriend amidst the dead spirits that shunned you, and now you both will be poisoned with me as your source? What could possibly go wrong?”

Davina suddenly stumbled. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” said Beatrix, taking a swig of the poison. “You already took it, didn’t you?”

The younger witch cast her a sheepish grin.

“Huh,” said Josh, rubbing his forehead. “Okay. For the record, if you looked up "uncool" in the dictionary, there would just be a tiny drawing of what's happening right now. But fine. What do I need to do?”

“I got this,” said Beatrix as Davina laid down on the nearby chair. She sliced open Josh’s palms with magic, then her own and Davina’s. She laid down beside her. “Hold our hands, and whatever happens, don’t let go. You’re going to be our link to the living.”

Josh gulped and nodded as the two witches closed their eyes.

When they opened them again, the entire room had taken on a grayish tint. “Quickly,” said Beatrix, getting up and pulling Davina out of the attic. “We have to find him fast. Let’s hope he’s in the area. You remember what he looks like, right?”

“Yes,” said Davina, sounding nervous. “You gave me that picture of him.”

“Good,” she said, speeding them out to the street. The normally crowded French Quarter roads were abandoned, and there was a very eerie feeling that chilled both witches as they walked hurriedly.

Suddenly, someone yanked them into an alleyway, and Beatrix aimed a punch. 

“Ow!” hissed Kol. “Bloody hell, Trix, I never should have taught you to fight!”

“Kol?” said Davina, as Beatrix stepped back. The younger witch was looking up at him in awe. The first time she ever saw him with his real face. 

“Come on,” he said, smiling widely. “You don’t recognize this roguish grin? I guess my true face is just too handsome.”

Davina blushed, and Beatrix nudged him. “You’re just as arrogant as I remember you,” she said, smirking as she pulled him into a hug. When they pulled away, he moved to engulf Davina in his arms.

“You two are a sight for bleary and battered eyes,” he sighed. “But you’re both also stark raving mad. Do you have any idea what would happen if the Ancestors found you here?”

They didn’t get a chance to answer. The streetlights began to flicker and buzz. “Come on,” he said, taking Davina’s hand. “We can’t stay here.”

They walked as fast as they could toward Rousseau’s. Beatrix felt nervous realizing that neither she nor Kol could move as fast as they would be able to in the real world. The Heretic didn’t dare to try and use magic. It might not work. 

Beatrix chose to give the two some privacy, pretending to look around the bar when they entered the building. She heard them kiss at one point, and when she peeked back, they were dancing, with no music playing.

It made her happy to see this. She’d never actually seen Kol be with someone he truly liked. Most women he’d fancied were really just sex buddies. This seemed genuine. Beatrix could remember how much trouble the two had gotten into in the past— troublemakers as if they were twins. Yet, he seemed different now.

Davina had noticed this as well. “What’s that?” she said, pointing toward a light bruise that had become apparent with the light inside the pub.

“It’s nothing, really,” he said quickly as Beatrix walked back to them. “You shouldn’t have come here. There’s a darkness to this place.”

“I had to find you, Kol,” insisted Davina. “I think I found a way to bring you back.” She extracted the Strix spell and handed it to him.

“FYI,” said Beatrix, “it’s a Strix Coven spell. They’re enticing her.”

Kol’s eyes immediately darkened. “No,” he said, shoving the spell onto the bar. “Absolutely not.”

“But you can live again!” Davina cried. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“Yes, more than anything, but this spell is incredibly dangerous. There is a reason Beatrix refused to join them!”

“They can give me power, Kol. Real power! I can bring you back!”

Kol shook his head. “Find another way, love. Not with them. Nothing is worth what they'll make you do. Please. I know you both will find something else.” 

The lights began to buzz and flicker again. “Time to go,” said Beatrix urgently. “The Ancestors are close. Come on— back exit.”

She took their hands and tugged them out, rushing out and back into the streets, moving as fast as they could toward St. Anne’s church.

“You two keep going, no matter what happens,” said Kol, looking back over his shoulder. “If I fall behind, don't look back.”

But it was too late. A woman stepped forward into their path. Beatrix didn’t recognize her, but Davina clearly did. “Hello, Davina,” said the woman, smiling malevolenty. “No one can help you now. Certainly not the spirit of a dead vampire or a Heretic who isn’t actually from these Ancestral lands.”

Kol growled. “Alright, that's about enough out of you—”

The witch thrust out her hand, sending Kol backward. Beatrix flicked her wrist, but her face went pale when she realized her magic wasn’t working. “No— no—”

“Foolish girl,” said the witch. “You are part vampire. Your magic can do nothing inside her. And even though Davina can… she’s no match for me.”

The woman raised her hands, and both Davina and Beatrix began to cry out in pain, holding their heads and falling to their knees as fire seeped into their brains.

But suddenly, the spell stopped, and a pale girl with white-blonde hair forced the witch back. “I can help you cross back,” said the girl when the other witch mysteriously vanished. “But we have to go now.”

Beatrix stumbled up to grab Kol, and the four began to hurry the rest of the way to St. Anne’s church. “Go!” cried Kol when they got in, blocking the door with a wooden plank. “I’ll handle them. At least buy you a minute or two.”

The Heretic pulled him into a hug. “Be safe,” she whispered as the Ancestors began to pound on the door.

“No!” cried Davina. “We’re not leaving without you!”

“He can’t come where we’re going,” said the pale girl. “Not yet. If we leave now, we can come back.”

When Davina made to protest, Kol came to take her hands and kiss her forehead. “If you don't go now, we're all lost. Besides, this way, you owe me one, and don't think for a second I won't aim to collect. Now, go!”

The three ran the rest of the way up to the attic, but they found Josh laying unconscious on the ground, his hands unlinked from both Davina and Beatrix. 

“It’s too late!” said Davina. “Our link to Josh is broken.”

“I know you're scared, but you have to concentrate,” said the girl, making Beatrix narrow her eyes suspiciously. “Focus on what you love most. Recall the thing that makes you want to live. Fight with that in mind.”

It didn’t take much concentration from either of them to wake up back in the real attic, but Beatrix immediately sped to the pale girl, grabbing her by the throat. “Alright, who the hell are you?” she snapped. “You’re the one that severed our link to Josh! You’re the only other person here!”

The girl gagged, and Davina pushed Beatrix off. “Stop it— you’re hurting her!” She looked at the girl as she began to pant for air. “Ariane, why did you help us?”

“Because Aya wanted you saved,” she said simply, almost unfazed by what’d happened. “Both of you.”

Davina bit her lip. “Aya said that the witches of your coven were granted the power to have your greatest heart's desire. Did you make that deal?”

Ariane nodded. “Yes. And, I will answer your real question as well— it was worth it.”

Before she could leave, Beatrix grabbed her arm, glaring down at her. “I will not join the Strix Coven,” she sneered. “But I will accompany Davina to your little Davilla Estate hideout. I will not let you Strix Sisters ruin her.”

Ariane smiled as though this did not bother her. “Fine by us.”


	43. Chapter 43

**Beatrix had waited a few days to tell Klaus, which had, of course, gone very badly.**

“Are you insane?” the hybrid roared.

“Yes, darling, thank you,” said the Heretic wryly.

“You— they just— they just finished torturing you! You only just made it out alive! Absolutely not— absolutely not!”

“Klaus, I’m not actually joining!” insisted Beatrix. “I just want to protect Davina. She’s desperate to bring Kol back and even after he told her the Strix spell was dangerous, she’s insistent upon trying it!”

“She can bring Kol back another way, can’t she?” spat Klaus. “You know more magic— have her do it another way! Davina Claire cannot stand anyone with the Mikaelson surname unless their first name is Kol. She will be used against us—”

“Not if I keep her safe! Marcel can make sure neither of us are harmed. Think— I could infiltrate the Strix now that Tristan is gone and I’ll be much safer than I would have been before!”

Klaus thought it over, but did not look pleased. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “One of the witches was killed last night. Elijah killed her.”

“What?” she hissed. “Why?”

“She showed him a vision of the weapon. It— it’s that little horse Hope adores playing with. It’s made of White Oak.”

Beatrix winced. “Oh… shit. Where is it now? You burned it, I presume? And you’re whittling another for Hope as replacement?”

He looked away. “Camille has taken it,” he admitted. He turned back to her. “You cannot trust them, Beatrix. I won’t stand to see you hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “Don’t worry. Just— focus on finding Cami, alright? I have to go to the Davilla Estate to see about that dead witch.”

When she arrived, she found Davina already with the remaining Strix Sisters, standing over Ariane’s dead body. Beatrix felt no sadness. She glared at the black robes the Sisters were wearing, and came closer.

“Who are you?” said one, who appeared to be the leader. Her brown eyes were piercing, and her wavy dark hair flowed down her shoulders as she removed her hood. 

“Oh, now you suddenly don’t know who I am?” she scoffed. “You Strix are confusing. I’m the Heretic.”

The girl cast her a stiff nod of understanding. “Aya said you would come. You say you will not become an official member, but will be here with Davina.”

“Yes,” she said with a wry look. “Now, before we start with the ‘bullying the new girls’ routine, let me remind you that I’m older than all of you, meaning I’m stronger than you when it comes to magic, and I’m also a vampire, meaning I can move quite quickly. I know many of your spells already and how you make them, along with magical practices from other Covens all around the world. Don’t underestimate me, or I’ll rip your throats out.”

“We weren’t planning to,” said the girl, though she didn’t look pleased. “I am Madison. I am the leader. We follow my command.” She looked around at the Sisters, and they arranged themselves all around Ariane’s body, ready to channel her. 

Beatrix didn’t need to ask what they were doing. Clearly, they wanted to figure out what she’d learned about the Mikaelson’s that’d caused Elijah to kill her. Sitting between Davina and one of the shorter Sisters, Beatrix linked hands with them, and they began to chant.

“ _Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono…._ ”

It did not work, and Madison grew aggravated. “We're getting nowhere,” she said. “Take some time. Gather your focus. We'll reconvene in an hour.”

She turned to look at Davina and Beatrix specifically. “And we won't stop until we get what we need.”

“Well, she’s a bitch,” said Beatrix when the Sisters left. “I’m sure they just don’t know the proper procedure for this. Ariane has to want to show them.”

Davina furrowed her eyebrows. “Maybe she’ll show us, then…” she leaned down closer to the body. “I know you're not a New Orleans witch... But you did die here. When I was a little girl, I remember being told that a witch who wasn't consecrated would never know peace.” She extracted a small vial of water and poured a drop on the girl’s forehead. “The Ancestors may hate me, but at the end of the day, witches take care of their own.”

She reached out to touch Ariane’s forehead, and she suddenly gasped, her eyes rolling back. Two seconds later, she was back to normal, looking up at Beatrix. “I saw something,” she said very quietly. “And— and I heard Klaus. He said… it’s a toy. A trinket he made when they were kids.”

Beatrix stiffened. “I assure you, I know what you mean. Let’s leave it at that, shall we? We should continue consecrating her.”

Davina bit her lip. “You don’t think we should tell the Strix?”

“Not a good idea. Let the others handle it. These people seek to hurt Klaus, and if he dies, so do I, Marcel, and Josh. Trust me, it’s in our best interest to—”

She suddenly sped to the door, catching Madison’s hand as she lifted it, and siphoning, causing the girl to stagger back, crying out in pain. “Thought you could sneak up on me, didn’t you?” sneered Beatrix. 

But suddenly, she was the one being grabbed. “And you thought you could come in and sneak in with information that you would hide from us,” said Aya’s voice in her ear, holding her arms fiercely at her sides. The rest of the Strix Sisters came forward, and they linked hands. The girls at the end who were not holding another hand came and put their hands on Beatrix’s forehead as she struggled against Aya. 

She could feel them pulling the memory of her conversation with Klaus from her head. Gritting her teeth and snarling, she kicked at Aya, but the woman was far stronger than her, and with her hands restrained, she could do nothing. She saw flashes, able to see into the minds of each of the girls that were participating in the spell. 

“I got it,” said Madison loudly. “I know what the weapon is!”

Another flash, but this time, it lingered, and Beatrix saw a familiar redhead looking at her, directly from Madison’s mind.

But she could say nothing of it. When the Sisters released her, she passed out. 

When she awoke, she found Davina had laid her down beside Ariane, who she’d kept consecrating.

“I couldn’t stop them,” she said softly, looking sad. “They went to retrieve the little horse.”

“Fuck!” hissed Beatrix, scrambling up and pulling out her phone. “Shit—”

“What’s wrong?” said Davina, alarmed.

“I got into their heads when they got in mine,” she said, dialing Klaus’s number.

“Yes?” he said when he picked up. “What have you to say for yourself? They got it!”

“I didn’t tell them, Klaus!” Beatrix said immediately. “They got into my head!”

He let out a growl on the other line. “Where is it? Did they bring it where you are?”

“No— they aren’t working for the Strix! They’re working for Aurora!”

There was a slight pause. “What?” 

“The girl in charge made some sort of deal with her— that’s all I know. It was one flash but I saw Aurora’s face in her mind. They gave her the horse!”

Klaus cursed loudly. “Get back here,” he demanded. “Freya will set up for a locator spell.”

Beatrix hadn’t wasted time. Davina had motioned for her to go, and the Heretic had sped back to the compound, arriving just as Freya finished setting up a map and candles.

“She’ll likely be cloaked heavily,” said Freya dejectedly as Beatrix linked hands with her. “Let’s try one of yours first, shall we?”

“Sure,” said Beatrix, pulling away, picking up a knife, cutting into her palm and dripping the blood onto the map. “ _Imita aurora_.” Once she healed, she took Freya’s hands once more. “Repeat after me. _Invenio repera cu precizie ostende trobar_.”

“ _Invenio repera cu precizie ostende trobar_ ,” Freya chanted.

_“Sanguis lokalizovat nalézt găsi spectacol taverit.”_

_“Sanguis lokalizovat nalézt găsi spectacol taverit.”_

_“Přesně určit sanguinem nájst amplasa.”_

_“Přesně určit sanguinem nájst amplasa.”_

Beatrix began to hum, and continued to speak, without Freya repeating. “ _Určit umístit aurora, polárna žiara reperio, espectacle invenient amb precisió_.”

The map promptly burst to flames, and Beatrix growled. “Alright. Your turn.”

Freya left the room and returned with some black sand. “Nik,” she called. “Get over here.”

Klaus sped to their side, and Beatrix took his hand, cutting into his palm without warning.

“Bloody hell, love, maybe ask first next time,” he said as she squeezed his hand to spill into a bowl. 

She gave him a cheeky grin as Freya poured black sand onto the table in a circle around the a new map she slapped down. Beatrix poured Klaus’s blood onto the map, and the two women linked hands again. “This one, you know,” said Freya as they closed their eyes. Together they chanted, “ _Vinde val tratunderes. Vinde val tratunderes. Jalgida minu bloò mitt. Vinde val tratunderes. Vinde val tratunderes. Jalgida minu bloò mitt_.”

More flames, and they angrily unlinked their hands. “This is going to take a lot more work,” said Freya in annoyance. “She has no intention of being found.”

**_**

Months passed before. Aurora remained laying low, and Beatrix found herself struggling to keep up with everything. 

It had been a year since she and Kai had been trapped in the 1903 Prison World, and she had done everything to not concentrate on it. Between searching for Aurora, working on a new spell with the Strix Sisters (minus Madison, who Aurora had killed) to break the sirelinks, researching other resurrection spells that could bring Kol back, and refreshing her mind on new medical and surgical practices for childbirth, Beatrix had had no time to think of Kai.

Whenever she could, she tried to offer her company to Hayley, who was still struggling to overcome her grief of Jackson’s death. She had not spoken to Elijah or Klaus in detail about the future of their relationships, and thankfully, neither male had pressed her about it. Thankfully, it wasn’t too much of a burden to work with the Strix anymore, since Marcel had become the new leader. This kept Klaus from being worried. 

“Yes, Caroline,” said Beatrix, her phone resting on her shoulder as she took a call, sitting in front of her new laptop. “I’m booking the flight for this afternoon, don’t worry. For now, if Valerie can siphon a little every chance she gets, the twins won’t be inclined to do it to you. Yes, keep drinking blood and your prenatal vitamins but don’t do much activity. Let yourself be on bedrest, alright?”

It was difficult for Beatrix to adjust to newer techniques, but she was doing her best. Not that it mattered all that much— she’d be using magic to help with the birth either way.

“Sorry, I’m late,” said Beatrix as she sprinted into the Davilla Estate ten minutes later, finding Davina working on the sireline de-linking spell again, stretching her notes out on a clothesline on the wall. Aya was with her, and she didn’t look happy.

“Heretic,” she said. “Perhaps you can tell me why you and Davina do not work with the other girls on this.”

“First of all, I have a name, Aya,” said Beatrix coldly. “Itza or Beatrix is fine, considering you already know my real name. Those girls slow us down. Davina worked on this spell last year after studying Esther’s grimoire cover to cover. The girls can verify it when we finish. All we need is the binding agent.”

“And what will that require?” Aya asked sharply.

Davina pursed her lips. “Our spell is based off of the one that the Mikaelsons' mother used to make them vampires in the first place. She was an artist. She had her own unique way of doing things. If we’re gonna finish this spell, we need someone who knew her techniques…”

Aya made a face. “Let me guess. Someone like… Kol Mikaelson?”

Beatrix gave her an impertinent look. “Yes. He knows those spells very well and he will help us.”

The vampire was clearly suspicious, and thus, turned to a chest across the room, bringing out a waxy severed hand clutching a tall black handle. “Oh, perfect,” said Beatrix, pretending to be pleased. “A Hand of Glory. So, we don’t get Kol permanently?”

Aya smiled with false sweetness. “If you want Kol to remain permanently, make sure he gives us the information we need.” She sped away, and Beatrix rolled her eyes, going to the side of the room to set up a salt circle with candles.

“I got this,” she told Davina. “I’ve tried this before with another dead person.”

“Who?” she asked.

Beatrix bit her lip. “Kai,” she whispered. “But… well, it didn’t go too well.”

Her preparations had not been accounting for the fact he’d ended up in Hell.

Behind them, footsteps sounded, and they saw Marcel. “Hey,” he said, clasping his hands together. “Glad to catch you both together. Came to let you know I’m on your side, okay? Aya just told me what’s happening.”

“Please tell me you don’t trust her,” said Davina worriedly.

Marcel shook his head. “I don't. But I do trust you both, and I need you to trust me, okay? Aya's always gonna be playing her own game, just like everybody else in this town. But now, more than ever, we got to stick together. And when this is over, I will help you raise pain-in-the-ass Kol Mikaelson from the dead.”

Beatrix was about to go pat him on the back when her phone began to ring. She picked it up and frowned when she saw it was Klaus. “Hello?” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“Aurora has Freya,” he said, sounding livid. “Meet us in the bayou— a carpenter’s workshop within the forest. Do you know where that is?”

“Of course I do. That used to be my mother’s house. I’m on my way.”

She sped away, and soon after, found Elijah and Klaus outside the workshop. “She’s not in there,” announced Klaus worriedly. “She was— I can smell her blood— but the stronger scent is due west.”

“You two track the scent,” said Elijah. “I’ll take the cabin.”

They split up, but Elijah stopped them. “Both of you— whatever happens, you promise me—”

“Aurora dies today,” said Klaus, pulling Beatrix deeper into the woods.

“I can’t believe that in the time it took me to leave the compound, Aurora got to her,” hissed Beatrix as they moved.

“She will not live past today, I will ensure it,” he said, though he stopped and ran when he approached a freshly dug grave with lavender plants on top of it. Sharing a look, the two dug into the ground with their hands, shoving dirt everywhere, and reaching a wooden coffin. Klaus leaned in and yanked it out, but when he opened it, the inside of the lid simply said ‘GUESS AGAIN,’ written in blood. 

“Oh, bloody hell,” snapped Klaus as Beatrix stood, and looked around, her stomach doing a flip. “Klaus…”

He stood and looked around the rest of the forest, and two realized there were more than a dozen other graves, all having been recently dug and adorned in the same manner, with lavender flowers planted in the ground.

“This will take too long,” snarled Klaus. “We have to find her.”

“I can try a spell,” said Beatrix, wringing her hands together. “I have to get back to Kol and Davina… if I channel you, I can try to remove all the dirt, and from there, maybe lift all the coffins. You’ll be able to smell the blood from Freya then.”

“Do it,” said Klaus, offering his hands to her. Beatrix concentrated, and closed her eyes. “ _Odhalit lutum vyskočit, brutícia exorior objevit, špína brollarà přijít!_ ”

There was a sound like a muffled explosion, and lavender and dirt shot into the air. Beatrix shut her eyes as the earth quite literally blew up around them, creating a purplish brown cloud in the air that left both her and Klaus coughing as each hole was left open. Klaus immediately perked up and sprinted toward one of them, pulling a coffin out, and immediately biting his wrist to shove it in Freya’s mouth in order to heal her.

Taking this as her cue to be able to go back, Beatrix sped away. These days, she often found herself going back and forth all over the place with all her responsibilities. It was not fun.

She arrived and found that Kol was already speaking to Davina. Correction— they were arguing just a little.

“Trix!” said Kol. “Please, dissuade Davina from this foolishness. This spell is impossible to break.”

“No!” insisted Davina. “I can tell you’re lying to me, no matter what face you wear! Don't you get it? If we can break the sire link, we can use the power of the Sisters to bring you back. Kol, we can finally be together. Why won't you just tell me?”

Kol rubbed his forehead. “Because, darling, neither of you will like the answer.”

“Fine, at least I know it’s not impossible!” said Davina, beckoning Beatrix over. “Look, here’s what I’m thinking— Esther cast the spell. Kol died with vampire blood in his system, he came back, fed— then he was a vampire. So, the core of the sire link has to be blood. If there’s a loophole, it’s blood-related.”

“Er— okay,” said Beatrix. “But that sounds kind of evil.”

“Exactly!” said Kol. “It’s not just blood-related— for it to work, someone has to die. So please, stop.”

Davina was not about to listen. “The spell centers around blood, but just taking someone's blood wouldn't kill them. You need their heart.”

“This is a devil’s bargain, Davina Claire!” Kol insisted.

“It has to be more complicated than that,” Davina murmured to herself. “It can't just be any old vampire, the heart has to be special. Do you need a heart outside the link?”

“Oh, fuck,” said Beatrix in realization. “An… an unsired heart.”

“Damn it!” growled Kol, turning away in frustration. 

“Hayley,” Beatrix whispered. “Shit— they’re going to need Hayley. Aya can’t find out— not until I find a solution.”

“A duplicator spell,” Kol muttered. “It’s the only way. You know it from when I taught you _Kémiya_ , Trix. You have to duplicate Hayley’s heart.”

“But— but we don’t need to do it in such a complicated way,” Davina said, patting her head in thought. “Jackson— the wedding… the unification ceremony made their hearts mirror images of each other, right? We can just—”

“Absolutely not!” said the Heretic immediately. “We are not about to go ask her to dig up the heart of her husband after all these months of grief! She’s planted it under a sapling, it’s grown— there is no way we’re going to open up her wounds that way. We have to do a duplicator spell.”

Davina shook her head. “That’s too complicated and we have no time. We have to speed up this process so that the Strix can help us get Kol back. If we don’t do this soon, this candle will burn out before he can get back.”

“Please,” Kol said, trying to reach for her hand but being unable to take it. “Please, love, listen to Beatrix— it’s wrong. It will hurt Hayley, and it’s disrespectful for her husband. Davina, they will ruin you… please, this isn’t the way to go.”

Davina suddenly winced, and held her gut. A knowing look came to her face. “The Sisters found Hayley. I can’t explain it— I just know.” She rushed to get her bags. “We have to help her.”

“I have a better idea!” said Kol. “You’re linked to this nasty little coven, right? Which means if I take you down—”

“You take down the Sisters,” said Beatrix quietly. “I can do the spell, so the candle can stay lit for longer, then.”

Kol cast her a grateful smile as the Heretic flicked her wrist and made Davina pass out. Kol crouched down beside her, and smiled. “Well, I can keep watch over her. Get started on the duplicator spell.”

“Got it,” said Beatrix, rushing to some paper and beginning to write down what she needed. “She’s good for you, you know? You two make a good pair. Both super attractive and stubborn… if you had kids, they’d be a whirlwind.”

Kol chuckled. “Yes, well, I never could stand the idea of kids but she makes me reconsider that. Wouldn’t be all that possible, of course, but if we wanted it, we could always try.”

Beatrix came to sit beside them as she worked out the rest of the spell. “You better ask that girl to marry you one day. I call being maid of honor.”

“And her friend Josh can be best man,” suggested Kol. “Better to not have my brothers feeling hurt if one is not picked. They can be the groomsmen and whatnot, if they want to be a part of it. That Camille girl and Hayley can be the other bridesmaids and Elijah and Klaus can lead them down. Freya can pick whoever she wants. Maybe Marcel… that’d be funny.”

“Let me guess, your wedding is going to be one big prank after the other,” Beatrix teased. “Just make sure beforehand, you discuss it with her. She might want the whole fancy dress thing.”

“I don’t doubt it. She’ll look ravishing, as usual.”

Beatrix’s phone began to ring, and she held it up to her ear. “Yes, Marcel? Everything okay?”

“Only just saved Hayley, but I have another alternative. Jackson’s heart.”

“We discussed it— not happening. I’m writing out a spell to duplicate Hayley’s heart instead.”

There was a brief silence. “I already got the heart.”

Beatrix let out a groan. “Oh, fuck. You better prepare one hell of an apology, then… listen, Davina and the Sisters can handle the rest of the de-linking spell. I need to be in Whitmore tonight, Caroline’s C-Section is scheduled for me to do at the Medical Center. I should be back by the time they’re finishing up to make sure everything goes well. They’re de-linking Klaus first, right? To be safe?”

“Yes,” said Marcel. “Safe flight, alright?” 

He hung up, and Beatrix finished her last pencil stroke before turning the spell for Kol to see. “Would this have worked?”

His eyes scanned over it quickly. “Yes, it would have. You get better at magic every day. Davina’s lucky to have someone like you looking after her. I’m not too chuffed about you both being involved with this coven, but… once I’m back, we’ll deal with them, eh?”

Beatrix nodded and went to gather her things. “Sure. Take care of her, alright? I have to head to the airport already.”


	44. Chapter 44

**By the time Beatrix got to Whitmore Medical Center, Caroline was already unconscious.**

“Shit!” she hissed, running in just before Stefan Salvatore. 

The man entered behind her and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Beatrix put her hands on Caroline’s belly and began to siphon immediately, sending that the twins were moving around inside. 

“What the hell happened?” said Stefan, coming over. “Valerie had just siphoned not too long ago.”

“They’re ready to come out,” said Beatrix, biting her lip. “Alright— call the doctors that have been treating her and have her be prepped for her C-section, I’ll need to go with them to get acquainted with the OR. Call Valerie. Get a whole wing shut down, if possible, to avoid anyone coming in and seeing.

“Sure,” said Stefan, speeding out into the hallway. He pulled at two doctors who immediately kicked up a lock on Caroline’s bed and began to roll it out, walking silently toward the nearest Operating Room. Beatrix felt her heart rate accelerating.

For one, she’d been far too busy these past months. She’d studied as much modern medicine as she could, but it was very different to actually be here. She really hoped that she had studied enough.

After scrubbing in and being given her gown by the other doctors, Beatrix moved forward and examined Caroline, looking up and seeing Stefan and Valerie outside the window, looking in worriedly. “Call Alaric,” said Beatrix when she saw him. “His babies are ready to come into this world, and we can’t wait much longer.”

Stefan immediately picked up his phone, and Beatrix tried to concentrate on the task at hand instead of the phone call. It didn’t seem like Alaric would make it within the next half hour. 

“Alright,” said Beatrix, looking around at the other doctors and nurses. She held her hand out. “Scalpel?”

“Here you are, Doctor,” said one of the nurses, handing it to her. It gave Beatrix a thrill, remembering when she had done this decades ago. Perhaps, after this, she would go back to Medical School.

“Preparing to make the incision,” Beatrix stated as she brought the blade down onto Caroline’s belly. But when she pressed in, it didn’t work. She tried to press slightly harder, but blood simply pooled out without an incision able to occur.

Behind her, the heart monitors were going haywire. They began to sound erratically as both babies’ heart rates began to increase rapidly. Beatrix held up the scalpel and stopped cutting, letting out a shaky breath as the heart monitor began to beep normally again. 

She looked up as Stefan and Valerie ran into the room. “What happened?” Stefan asked frantically.

“The babies don’t want to be born,” said Beatrix, setting the scalpel down. The tray of tools suddenly flew to the floor, and they all leapt away from it. “They want to stay inside to feed off of Caroline as a source of magic. The womb is too comfortable for them.”

She started to pull Caroline’s gown back over her tummy, but Stefan still looked confused. “So that’s it? We leave them there?”

“Of course not,” said Beatrix. “Valerie and I simply need to work out a spell first.”

“A spell?” asked Stefan. “For what?”

“Oh,” said Valerie pensively. “I think I see what you mean… if we create a magic source out here…”

“The babies will want to follow it,” finished Beatrix. “But we need help. Are the other Heretics still around?”

“Mary Louise, Nora, and Beau are,” said Valerie. “I will call them.” She then darted out of the room.

“Good,” said Beatrix, motioning for the other doctors to clean up. “We’ll reconvene when the spell is ready. Right now, I need to get her back in her room and siphon a little so that the twins don’t try and desiccate her again.”

Stefan gave a grave nod. “What do I tell Alaric?”

Beatrix winced. “Maybe don’t tell him yet. When he gets here, he can be informed of everything. No need to worry him the entire time he’s waiting for his flight.”

“Alright,” said Stefan, coming over to help her wheel Caroline’s bed back to her room. “So… how have you been? Everything was rushed when you arrived. You get a breather now.”

The Heretic half-smiled. “I’ve been rushed for awhile now… lots to do. I’ve been… struggling. But I’m still alive.”

Stefan bit his lip. “I… I am sorry, for your loss. I know that none of us even remotely liked him, but if he meant something to you, then that’s still a loss. And it sucks that you had to experience that type of pain.”

“Thanks, Stefan,” said Beatrix gently. “Er— how are things with you?”

He hesitated. “Um… everything is fine.” But it was clear he was lying. Something was bothering him and he didn’t want to mention it. Beatrix had a terrible feeling it had to do with Elena. After all, she was still asleep…

They reached Caroline’s room, they positioned her bed how it had been, and Beatrix waved her hands over her, beginning to bring her back She awoke with a gasp, and Stefan took her hand, sitting down with her and beginning to explain what’d happened.

“What do you mean they don’t want to come out?” she said, sounding very concerned.

“They want to stay where the magic is,” Beatrix chimed in. “They’re getting a very steady stream of your blood and it’s leaving them with a warm, comfortable, and magical place to reside in. Why would they ever want to leave?”

Caroline drew a deep breath. “So what do we do?”

“We’ll need to channel enough magic outside your body so the babies are drawn to it,” Beatrix said. “That way, when I try to bring them out, they won’t resist.”

She let out an irritated groan. “Funny, I didn't hear one medical word in all of that. Could someone just call Bonnie? I feel like she should be here.”

Beatrix refrained from looking at Caroline. Stefan came to her rescue. “I’ll call her. But maybe, er— Beatrix could go into more medical detail if that makes you comfortable.”

“Yes, please,” Caroline insisted. “By the way, where is Valerie?”

“She’s… getting help,” Stefan said hesitantly. 

“What do you mean ‘help?’”

Stefan made a face. “Uh… Nora, Mary Louise, and Beau…”

“Oh, that is just perfectly reasonable— putting my life and the lives of these babies into the hands of the people who tried to kill me!” Caroline shrieked.

“To be fair,” noted Beatrix awkwardly, “you put the babies’ lives in my hands and I kind of helped try and kill them. Not to mention I helped kill their biological mother.”

“But Klaus trusts you!” Caroline said. “You’ve been a parent before, you helped raise his daughter, too. You’ve actually been to Medical School, and you’re a siphon. The other Heretics…”

“Aren’t going to do anything medical,” Beatrix promised. “They just need to be chanting a spell to draw them out. At this moment, they’re getting a lot of nutrients from you. But because of their siphon nature, they’re also being fueled by your magic. See, in a normal witch mother, like mine, and the Parker mother, the siphon babies would be able to be nurtured by the magic, but due to the weakness in the mother’s bodies, they know to hold back a bit and be patient. My mother had no idea I was a siphon because whenever I was feeding off her magic, it wouldn’t cause side-effects. You are infused with a very specific kind of magic that they are drawn to and because your body is not as fragile, they are not stopping. Doesn’t help that there is two of them. They don’t know that they’re hurting you. They just want the magic.”

Caroline nodded slowly. “So if the Heretics do better magic, they’ll want that, and then they’ll be okay with getting out.”

“Exactly,” said Beatrix, patting her shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, it will be alright.”

When Valerie returned with the other Heretics, they wasted no time in greetings, and quickly wrote down the spell they intended to use before wheeling Caroline back to the Operating Room.

“I’m going to put you to sleep just to make sure the babies aren’t tempted to feed off of you if you get anxious,” said Beatrix as the other doctors and nurses set up their materials all around the room. Caroline nodded worriedly, and Beatrix put her ungloved hand on her forehead. _“Somnus uspat.”_

She went unconscious, and Beatrix put her other glove on. The Heretics moved around Caroline, linking hands while Stefan waited outside, calling Alaric. 

“Start the spell, please,” said Beatrix as she came to observe her tools. 

Together, the other Heretics began to chant. _“Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia… Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous…”_

“Scalpel,” said Beatrix, holding out her hand. The nurse handed it to her, and she brought it down where she had before, concentrating on the procedure and not the chanting all around her. “About to make the incision…”

Make the incision three centimeters above the pubic bone, carrying it down to the fascia. The bright white fascia will be surrounded by the yellow sub-q fat if this is the mother’s first Caesarean section. 

“Vitals are steady,” said Beatrix as she cut in with one clean swipe. “Good. Ready to use blunt traction to spread the sub-q fat and expose the fascia…”

Suddenly, Beau’s neck began to bleed, and he let out a gasp. “Oh my God, Beau!” said Nora. 

“It’s his scar,” said Valerie as he staggered back.

“Out of the room,” said Beatrix immediately. “Rayna Cruz— she’s on her way. I need to get this underway.”

The Heretics rushed out, and Beatrix forced herself to concentrate.

Use the scalpel to nick the fascia bilaterally to lateral to the midline. 

“Rat-toothed pickups,” said Beatrix, holding out her hand again. “Curved mayo scissors.”

Both instruments were handed to her as she handed the doctor across from her the scalpel. 

She dug in both the pickups and the scissors to extend the already made fascial incisions, making sure to curve in the direction of Caroline’s head in order to minimize any bleeding. Hopefully, this would discourage her body from trying to heal itself and undo her work.

Avoid the inferior epigastric vessels. Use two hemostatic forceps to grasp the superior aspect of the fascia. Separate the rectus muscle from the fascial layer. Grasp the inferior aspect of the fascia using the hemostatic forceps. Spread lateral to medial.

“Use the Mayo scissors,” Beatrix motioned to the doctor across from her. The woman nodded and began to sharply dissect the underlying rectus off the fascial layer. 

“Metzenbaum scissors,” she said next, taking the pickups in her left hand and taking the new scissors to enter the peritoneum sharply. “Use the bladder blade to keep the bladder out of the way.”

The assistant doctor nodded. “Bovie.” Beatrix handed back her scissors and pickups to take the bovie and take down the bilateral peritoneal adhesion bands. She spread the rectus muscles and then handed back her instruments, putting her hand inside of Caroline and beginning to palpate against her uterus. 

At that moment, the monitors began to sound loudly again. “Damnit,” said Beatrix loudly, looking up as Nora, Mary Louise, and Beau made their way out of the hospital. “The magic source! It’s not lingering anymore, they’re going into distress again.” She faced the nurse as Valerie ran into the room. “Push point five milligrams of atropine.”

“Pushing point five milligrams atropine,” the nurse said. When it was done, she announced, “Atropine on board.”

“Good,” said Beatrix, letting out a slow breath as she looked up at Valerie. “We can wait here, a bit, because Caroline won’t die. I want to give Alaric a chance to show up.”

“You sure that’s alright?” said Valerie worriedly. 

“Yes, it’s fine. In a normal mother, I couldn’t leave her open like this. But the uterus is ready to be cut into, and I don’t want the twins wanting to leap out until you’ve kept up the spell a good few times. I can help you for a bit.”

Valerie nodded, and Beatrix removed her gloves, taking her hand. The two began to chant, _“Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia. Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia… Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia. Phesmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia…”_

The door opened, and Stefan came in, coming to crouch beside Caroline and take her hand, entering her mind to likely give her some comfort. 

The two Heretics did not cease their chanting. Over and over again, they kept at it, wanting to give the babies a real reason to want to get out. The aura around Caroline needed to be stronger than what Valerie could have managed on her own, and with the two of them, the twins would not object once the procedure continued, even if Valerie was the only one chanting.

The door opened once more, and Bonnie Bennett came in. Beatrix refrained from looking at her as she announced that Rayna Cruz had arrived at the hospital.

“How is she?” Bonnie asked quietly, looking up at Beatrix, who would not meet her gaze. Instead, she kept chanting with Valerie.

“They’re waiting a bit to get the babies out so that Alaric can get here,” said Stefan. “What’s wrong?”

Bonnie winced. “Beau… didn’t get away.”

Valerie and Beatrix both stopped chanting. “No,” breathed Valerie quietly. “No… no that’s not possible.”

Stefan cast her a sad look. “I’m so sorry, Valerie.”

She let out a shaky sigh. “And what about the others?”

“I don’t know,” said Bonnie. “But I think Rayna’s somewhere inside this hospital.”

“Where’s Damon?” asked Stefan.

Bonnie bit her lip, as if to say, ‘where do you think?’ “Not to make things worse, but my magic doesn’t work on Rayna, and I don’t think Damon can take her alone. Stefan… you have to go.”

Stefan scoffed. “What are you talking about? I’m not going to leave her.”

Beatrix moved back to get another pair of gloves. “Bonnie can help Valerie. We can’t wait any longer for Alaric if Rayna Cruz is inside this hospital.”

“Damon needs you,” Bonnie pointed out.

“I don’t care what Damon needs!” Stefan snapped.

Beatrix frowned at him. “Listen,” she said coldly, “I don’t know what made you hate him as much as I do, but I will not have you getting mad inside of my OR, not when I have a woman open on the table.”

Bonnie decided to add on. “He’s so determined to make things right that he’s going to get himself killed. Do you honestly think I would do anything to put Caroline at risk?”

Once more, the doors burst open, but this time it was Alaric, and he looked shocked. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Stefan, go!” said Beatrix sharply as she took back the scalpel. “We’ll take it from here.”

He left, and the Heretic forced herself to ignore the baleful look coming from Alaric. Focus on the procedure, focus on the procedure…

Make a low transverse incision on the uterus with the scalpel. Stay on the incision line and go down layer by layer into the uterus. 

Beatrix made certain to enter the hysterotomy bluntly, feeling as she went, while Bonnie and Valerie began to chant. Alaric took Caroline’s hand, looking over the placed barrier at what Beatrix was doing, though he quickly crouched down to not look when he saw all the blood pooling out. 

“Suction,” she said once they opened and started getting amniotic fluid flowing out with the blood. The assistant suctioned, and Beatrix helped to clear out the surrounding blood. 

“How are we doing?” asked Alaric nervously.

“Almost there,” said Beatrix, not looking at him so that neither of them would feel uncomfortable. She had helped kill his wife almost a year ago and now, she was helping his twins be born, who she’d also tried to kill before…

When the assistant was done suctioning, Beatrix held her hand out to stop her. “Okay, that’s enough. Reaching in to try and bring out baby number one.”

Valerie and Bonnie continued to chant as Alaric stood. Beatrix moved her dominant hand in, locating the first baby’s head and wrapping her hand around it, bringing it up to the level of the hysterotomy in the maternal cephalic position, avoiding flexing her wrist. “Apply fundal pressure,” she told the assistant. The woman pressed down on her wrist as she began to pull the first baby out. “Deliver IV oxytocin to help the uterus contract.”

“Delivering IV oxytocin,” said the nurse as Beatrix pulled out the first baby girl. She and the assistant quickly clamped the first umbilical cord in two places before cutting, and Beatrix held up the baby for Alaric to see before handing her off to one of the nurses to be weighed and cleaned.

“Now, for baby two,” said Beatrix. Once more, she dug her hand into Caroline’s uterus and enclosed her palm around the second little girl’s head, pulling her out and clamping and cutting her umbilical cord as well. She held up the baby for Alaric to see, and right as she handed her to the nurse, the first baby began to whimper and cry. Valerie and Bonnie stopped doing the spell, and Beatrix set down her tools, putting both hands back inside of Caroline to extract the placenta, ensuring that nothing of it remained inside of the uterus.

“Nice and healthy placenta,” she noted. “Even though it’s a vampire placenta, it can still be used for some stem cell research, so save that… okay, mama, time for you to heal.”

She put her hands over the part of Caroline’s belly that wasn’t cut open, seeing the nurses had cleaned both twins and were handing them to Alaric to hold as they cried. 

“Are they okay?” Bonnie asked. 

“Yeah, they’re okay,” whispered Alaric as he looked down at them.

He looked up at Beatrix and she quickly looked away, beginning to chant. _“Consano medeor opravit, děloha cos curar. Vyléčit sana spravit instaurabo sarcio, matrix corporis tělo. Consano medeor opravit, děloha cos curar. Vyléčit sana spravit instaurabo sarcio, matrix corporis tělo…”_

She looked down and saw that little by little, Caroline’s body was healing itself up. Each layer of her uterus repaired itself from where it had been cut, and Beatrix aided it by pulling back together where the incisions had been made. Within a few minutes and another series of chants, she was completely healed. 

“Closing now,” said Beatrix, ensuring the wound had closed properly. She removed her gloves and bit into her wrist, coaxing it into Caroline’s mouth to help strengthen her a bit. She removed her own gown, which was stained with blood and amniotic fluid, and helped the other doctors move Caroline’s bed back into her room for her to wake up once her body felt ready and fully healed.

Before Beatrix could leave, Alaric came up to her, the twins still in his arms. “I… I wanted to say thank you,” he whispered. “You really came through.”

“You don’t need to say you forgive me,” she mumbled quietly. “But a thanks is enough. This… was a good experience for me. It reminded me of the good I can do. I’m going to go back to Medical School in the fall. I want to be able to do this kind of stuff again.”

Alaric offered her a smile. “How… how do you do it with all the blood?”

“I dunno, I’ve always managed to have quite a bit of self control. Maybe because I was sired by an Original. It doesn’t affect me too much. If I concentrate enough on the procedure, nothing will faze me.” 

She turned back to Caroline, and bit her lips. “Good luck to you two, then,” she said, though she didn’t get to finish as Valerie and Bonnie ran in.

“Rayna got Stefan,” said Valerie worriedly. “She— she marked him with her sword. He’s on the run now.”

“Give me his number,” said Beatrix, pulling out her phone from the pocket of her scrubs. “I’ll find him.”

“Where will you go?” asked Valerie.

“I have someone who can help him,” said Beatrix as she typed in Stefan’s number from Valerie’s phone. She didn’t look at Bonnie before speeding out of the Hospital, and dialing Klaus’s number.

“Beatrix,” he replied. “Are you still in Mystic Falls?”

“Yes, but I will be on my way soon. I think someone will need your help. Stefan Salvatore’s been marked by Rayna Cruz.”

“Absolutely not,” said Klaus immediately. “I will not have you bringing him to my city where my daughter sleeps at night.”

“What if he can help with the Strix? The more people on our side, the better. The sireline de-linking will happen. But if we have an extra friend—”

“The prophecy, the prophecy! How can—” he then stopped. Beatrix could tell he must be smiling. “Bring him, love,” he decided. “I have an idea. Meet us at the St. James Infirmary.”

She hung up and dialed Stefan’s number next.

“Who is this?”

“It’s Beatrix,” she answered. “Tell me where you are, and I’ll meet you there. We need to go to New Orleans.”

  
_Since I'm not a surgeon yet, all credits for how I binge-learned about C-sections go to Dr. Kerry Campell, M.D. who, in 2017, made a 14 minute OB/Gyn Surgical Techniques YouTube video regarding how they work. Thanks, Doctor. Happy 500 pages!_


	45. Chapter 45

**Upon arrival, Beatrix pulled Stefan into the St. James Infirmary.**

“Welcome to New Orleans, old friend,” said Klaus as he came up to the two. “As I live and breathe. Stefan Salvatore in the Crescent City. This ought to be very good, or entertainingly bad.”

“Well, as you know, I’ve been marked by Rayna Cruz,” said Stefan, pulling his shirt down to show where Beatrix had bandaged him. “Hate to disappoint. How are… Elijah, and uh, whoever else you’ve brought back from the dead?”

Klaus smirked. “Oh, you know the Mikaelsons. Never a dull moment.” He clapped Stefan on the back. “Let’s get going, shall we? We need to see a witch.”

He grasped both Stefan and Beatrix’s hand and sped them back to the compound, pulling them into the upper lounge where Freya and Elijah were speaking. “Freya, this is Stefan Salvatore, an old friend.”

Elijah looked amused, but Freya seemed murderous. “One of my trickle-down sirelings,” Klaus continued. “Long story. Stefan, this is Freya, my brand-new older sister. Also a long story. Stefan needs a favor, and I have an idea of how this may come to be of use.”

Freya glanced at Stefan suspiciously. “You’re an old ‘friend,’ are you?”

Stefan shifted awkwardly on his feet. “Well… that kind of depends on your definition.”

“A paste, Freya,” said Beatrix as she showed the mark of the Phoenix Stone. “Please.”

“Fine,” said Freya, grabbing Stefan’s arm and yanking him out of the room. 

Elijah glanced at Klaus. “Pray tell, Niklaus, what is this idea of yours? The prophecy continues to unfold and yet you invite Stefan Salvatore into our home.”

“Stefan Salvatore is not the problem,” said Klaus sharply, pulling Beatrix out toward the staircase, as if he had not intended to share his idea with his brother. “But, if you are so determined to find foe amongst friends, then look no further than Marcel. After all, did he not steal Jackson's heart and deliver it to the very people bent on harming us?”

Beatrix winced. “I tried to come up with an alternative…”

“Marcel is the least of our troubles,” said Elijah impatiently, apparently already aware of what Beatrix had been trying to do before. “The Strix would still be clamoring over Hayley's heart if it weren't for Marcel.”

Klaus held his hands up in exasperation. “And now Aya and her mob are free to break the sireline. You know, we've had many glorious enemies over the years, brother, but if they sever their link to us, then they will all come for our heads.”

He turned to Beatrix. “This is where you come in. You are to sabotage the spell, and Stefan Salvatore will help you.”

“What?” she said. “How— why— if you wanted to sabotage the spell, you could have told me earlier on so I wouldn’t have helped Davina complete it!”

“Call her now,” said Klaus, crossing his arms. “See where they are at. Stefan can be used as a distraction or as a blood source to interfere with the spell. Or, you can test something on him and figure out how to change it another way. He’ll be glad to be of service.”

Beatrix frowned and pulled out her phone, dialing Davina’s number. “Beatrix,” she answered. “I was just about to call you. Aya… doesn’t want you showing up.”

Elijah and Klaus both made an enraged face as Beatrix gritted her teeth. “What the hell does that mean? First they torture me to join the coven and now, after they use me for a spell, they don’t want me there? I thought the point was for it to go off without a hitch!”

“She thinks you’re compromised. That’s all she said. I have to go now. Lots of preparations to be done.”

She hung up, and Beatrix nearly snapped her phone in half. “Something is wrong,” she said lowly. “Aya knows that I have more experience than all her witches. They’re planning something.” Her phone began to ring again, and this time, it was Hayley.

“We found Aurora,” came the hybrid’s voice. “All of the Crescents. Meet me at St. Charles Place, an abandoned train car with markings showing it used to be a post office car.”

She hung up, and Beatrix looked at the two brothers. “Time for us to go. Stefan can wait here.”

When they arrived, they split off, the brothers remaining together outside while Beatrix sped in after Hayley. “Hey,” she said as Hayley looked around the dusty room full of cobwebs, with old-fashioned jazz music playing inside. 

“Someone is in here,” said Hayley. “I can sense it. But…”

She suddenly ripped off a board from the wall that revealed a hidden door. Whens he threw it open, she found Lucien, bound, gagged, and mostly desiccated.

“Lucien,” said Hayley in surprise, undoing his gag. Color started to come back to his face as he panted weakly.

“Get… Klaus… out… of here…” he managed. 

Hayley and Beatrix shared a concerned look, and dashed outside just in time to see a car speeding away, with both Elijah and Klaus’s coats left on the ground carelessly.

“Oh, fucking hell,” said Beatrix, going back into the train car and grabbing Lucien. “Time to go.”

Returning to the Mikaelson Compound, they found Marcel already there.

“What the hell just happened?” demanded Hayley as Beatrix went to get Lucien some blood bags.

Marcel held his hands up in surrender. “I had no idea that Aya was gonna take Klaus and Elijah down! And regardless, why the hell are we trusting this guy all of a sudden, huh? He's the one who ran off with Aurora the first chance he got.”

Lucien looked up weakly, though offended. “You can hardly fault a man for following his heart. Yet, the moment she started raving about firing white oak into Klaus, well... Words were said, hearts broken, veins drained.”

“You’re one to talk about trust,” Hayley snapped at Marcel. “Who was it that handed my dead husband's heart to the people that helped murder him?”

Marcel let out a frustrated groan. “I bought your life with that heart, and I didn’t know Beatrix had another idea in mind. But hey, you know what? You called me here, so if you have another plan? Please, let's hear it.”

“We have to stop the spell,” said Beatrix firmly. “Aya doesn’t want me there for some reason, so we need to storm the Davilla Estate and get rid of those Strix witches.”

“Yes,” agreed Lucien. “We’ve got to stop an execution.”

“What are you talking about?” Marcel demanded. 

Lucien held his hand out like it was obvious. “A lovesick teenage witch with a runner-up heart is somehow going to break the sire link? I'm sorry, but your darling Davina is in over her head, and Aya knows this, which is exactly why she let Beatrix help without becoming an official member. She wanted her expertise to refine the spell as much as possible but doesn’t want her there because one, she wants a testament to Davina’s power, and two, she has a plan in mind that Beatrix would have interfered with. She will let Davina de-sire both brothers, then test the spell’s success by firing a white oak bullet into Klaus’s heart. I mean, it’s a win-win for her— if you live, Marcel and Beatrix, well, she’s won. If not, at least she’s eliminated the rival sireline, including me.”

“That’s what she wanted, then,” mused Beatrix. “She kept me away because she thinks Davina will fail. On the off chance she doesn’t, the Strix are de-sired from Elijah, but she’s betting on Davina failing to wipe out the entire sireline, isn’t she?”

“Crap,” said Hayley, rubbing her forehead. “His prophecy witch said she saw Klaus die and his entire sireline burn.”

“She watched us fall, she watched us burn,” recited Lucien, “every soul Klaus ever turned. When Aya tests this spell, Klaus will fall either way. And, if Davina fails, as she likely will, the three of us will die as well.”

Stefan chose this moment to come in from the other room. “Actually, make that the four of us.” He put his hands together and came closer. “What’s the game plan, then?”

Marcel extracted a folded paper from his pocket and slapped it onto the table— a blueprint of the Davilla Estate. “This can help. Be back, I need to make a phone call. 

Beatrix pulled Stefan over to where Lucien was, and they looked over the paper, absorbing as much as they could into memory. 

“Could use one of these access tunnels to slip into a back room,” Stefan suggested after a few minutes, pointing at a spot on the blueprint. 

Lucien let out an unwilling huff.

“What?” said Stefan sarcastically. “Worried about getting a little dirt on your thousand-dollar shoes?”

Beatrix giggled, but Lucien just glared. “Actually, I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting, since the vampires we're facing are, what? Seven times your age?” He turned to Marcel. “Is this really the best help we can get?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Marcel, who had just gotten off the phone from the other room. “We're not getting their bodies back. Strix from all over the world are flying in to make sure this spell goes off. They're guarding every entrance and exit.

Lucien made a face. “Well, you're their leader. Call a meeting. Schedule a retreat. Order them to stop.”

Marcel shook his head. “No. I do that, Aya has no problem staging a coup.”

“I have an idea,” said Freya as she came to join them. “I can get the boys out of the chambre de chasse. I just need a strong enough power source. I'd channel Finn, but he's all for letting our brothers perish. So, I'll channel Lucien. The older the vampire, the better the battery.”

Hayley nodded in approval. “We're going to buy her some time, keep the Strix occupied.” She looked at Beatrix. “Think you have enough fuel to do what you did all those years ago?”

“Absolutely not,” said Marcel sharply. “Hayley, that’s a big risk. Last time, seventy four Strix mass murders left her comatose for a week. We’re talking hundreds of them, way older than her, too.”

Lucien scoffed. “So you want me here holding hands with the leftover sister while you take two toddlers and a burnt-out Heretic to tackle the Strix? You must be jok—”

Beatrix flicked her wrist, snapping Lucien’s neck and watching in amusement as Freya waved her hand to catch him from his fall, hovering him over to her. Stefan looked surprised. “Huh, that was impressive.”

Freya smirked. “We work better with quiet.”

“Pause,” said Beatrix, holding her hands up. “Marcel, if you don’t want me to do the mass murder spell again, then how are the four of us meant to keep hundreds of the world’s most ancient vampires occupied?”

Stefan put his hands together. “Well, there could be another way. All Marcel has to do is get us to the front door.”

“And what do you propose?” asked Hayley as Freya levitated Lucien to follow her to the upstairs study. 

“Rayna Cruz,” said Stefan. “She’ll be arriving here soon, even if I have paste on the wound. She’ll have been following closely since Mystic Falls. She can take care of the distraction. If we need to, Beatrix can try the spell she used before. By then, most of the vampires would have succumbed to Rayna.”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “That could work.”

Marcel didn’t look pleased. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Trix?” he asked her. “It’s a risk.”

“So is Rayna Cruz, but we need it,” she said. “We have to.”

He conceded. “Fine. My car’s parked out front, the three of you need to get in the trunk. Can you do a cloaking spell on it so the Strix won’t sense you’re there?”

“Got it,” said Beatrix, walking out to his car. She placed her palm on the trunk door and murmured a few words lowly before popping it open. “Excellent, who wants to be in the middle?”

As it turned out, Stefan did not want to be in the middle, but he sacrificed comfort so that Hayley and Beatrix wouldn’t be squished.

“How gallant of you,” whispered Beatrix as they began to near the Davilla Estate. She looked over at the screen of Hayley’s phone, showing the GPS. “Nearly…”

Hayley let out a soft breath and swiped on the screen, showing that her home wallpaper was Hope. “That’s a cute kid,” said Stefan quietly. 

Hayley offered him a smile. “Yeah, she is.”

“Is she the reason the two of you are here?”

Beatrix and Hayley shared an amused look. “Oh, you mean, in a trunk with a stranger, going into a fight we may not win?” asked Beatrix.

“She’s not the only reason, but yeah,” said Hayley. “Maybe I just don’t want her to grow up without a father. Beatrix and I both didn’t have dads. I didn’t have a mom either, and Beatrix lost hers pretty early on.”

“Hmm,” said Stefan, nodding slowly. “I guess that depends on the father. I could have done without mine. If it weren't for my brother, I probably wouldn't have survived the guy.”

“So, he stood up for you, and now you’re risking your life for him?” asked Hayley while Beatrix temporarily tuned out, not wanting to listen in on a discussion about Damon.

She only looked back when Stefan pulled out his phone and showed his wallpaper was Caroline. “Ahh, Caroline,” said Hayley. “Klaus had a thing for her. And I’m pretty sure I snapped her neck once.”

Stefan chuckled. “Yeah, well… she's toughened up since. I don't think you'd win round two.”

“She’s also in Klaus’s sireline, isn’t she?” said Beatrix, recalling what she’d heard before. “Is she the reason why you’re here?”

He turned to her with a smile. “In a trunk with a stranger, going into a fight we may not win? I guess we all have our reasons.”

The car began to slow down, and Beatrix made a motion for them to be quiet. A muffled conversation, and they passed through the front gate. Marcel parked at the front of the Davilla Estate and left. “We just have to wait a bit,” said Beatrix as Hayley set a timer on her phone.

They were in silence for awhile, just listening to what was going on outside and within the house. Things didn’t seem to be going well, meaning they’d need to get a move on, soon.

“It’s time,” said Hayley at last. Beatrix helped Stefan scratch off Freya’s paste.

“Hey, listen,” he said. “I… know we don’t all really know each other, but my life is… sort of in both of your hands. So let’s make it count.”

“Don’t worry,” said Beatrix gently. “If I could deliver two siphon twins after not practicing medicine for several decades, we’ll make it work. After all, my life is in danger too. Stay safe, Stefan.”

She removed the cloaking spell and popped the trunk, the three of them speeding out in different directions. Hayley and Beatrix reunited at the back of the house, remaining in the shadows. Hayley turned slightly toward the side, her right ear in the direction where the car was parked. “I hear her,” she whispered. “Rayna Cruz is already here. She’s with the vampires at the front.”

“That’s our cue to start sneaking in,” said Beatrix as the vampires that’d been guarding the back door went to see what the commotion up front was about.

Hayley halted her. “Wait… what if you… gave Rayna a bit of a boost? So she can get into the house sooner?”

“I can manage that,” said Beatrix with a mischievous grin. She paused in her tracks and swiveled her feet into the dirt, as if grounding herself. She concentrated on twenty vampiric souls she could feel out there, since any greater might leave her passed out. She began to chant, _“Lamia mut takhamid, hadm partum ard cinere ghabar. Masas dima emorior perdere, khalaq terra ramad pulvis.”_

Her entire body swayed, and Hayley lurched to hold her down as she felt a tug in her gut, her legs shaking as she kept the spell going. She let out a hoarse gasp as she crumpled into Hayley, her eyes pure black for an instant before they reverted to normal.

“Okay, what the fuck was that?” said Hayley nervously.

“It’s dark magic, darling,” said Beatrix a bit breathlessly. “But it’ll leave Rayna with less work to do outside. Come on.”

The two crept into the house, but the Heretic could sense that Hayley was still casting her worried looks. “I’m fine, Hayley. I’ve done that spell to a greater degree. It’s cruel and it takes a bit out of me, but dark magic has never harmed me before. This kind of stuff helps me from having other episodes. I fuel it with the dark magic I was born with, and it doesn’t backfire.”

“Whatever you say,” Hayley whispered. They came to a halt before passing an opening to another hallway. They could sense several vampires were in that room.

“Well, if it isn’t Rayna Cruz,” they heard Aya say. Taking this as their cue, they sped across the opening as a hoard of about fifteen vampires launched themselves at the huntress. They found Davina and the other Sisters performing the spell, with Klaus and Elijah floating in a pool of their own blod. 

_“Newo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo,”_ the Sisters chanted. _“Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh. Newo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo. Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh.”_

One of the Strix guarding near the edge was the first to notice them. Hayley lunged at him and snapped his neck, however, his grunt of pain brought unwanted attention, and Marcel, who’d been on the other end of the room, launched forward to snap the neck of another Strix male who’d been about to attack Beatrix. 

“Marcel!” cried Davina angrily.

“I’m sorry, D,” he said, turning to Beatrix and Hayley. “We need to get them out of that water now.”

The three moved forward, but Davina let out a furious cry, and they were thrown back into the wall. Beatrix winced in pain as she struggled to get up. At that moment, in the pool, Elijah shot out of the water and launched at one of the Sisters, dragging her back in the water and drowning on her as he fed on her. 

The other Sisters ceased chanting, and Hayley pulled Beatrix up as they split with Marcel, snapping the necks of the three remaining sisters before turning to Davina as Elijah leapt back out of the water. 

“Davina, stop!” Marcel pleaded as she refused to stop chanting. In the water, Klaus opened his eyes with a loud gasp, and leapt out of the water, but Davina thrust her hand out and sent him back in. “You’ve had your time!”

“Beatrix— you have to stop it!” Marcel yelled.

“I-I can’t,” she said, holding up her hands. “I used most of my strength on the vampires—”

Suddenly, she let out a cry of pain, and looked down at her arm, which was beginning to turn red. Marcel yelled out just after her, and the two collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain and screaming as the redness started traveling up to their necks. Davina did not cease her chanting until the water from the pool exploded like a geyser, slamming the younger witch to the floor and knocking her out as Klaus hoarsely ceased thrashing in the water.

Marcel staggered to his feet and sped over to Davina as Hayley came to Beatrix’s side, cradling her in her arms as the redness began to disappear, and she felt that she could breathe again. “She— she did it,” gasped Beatrix. “She— she got it done—”

Elijah jumped into the pool with his brother, who was only just conscious. Beatrix forced herself to the edge of the pool, watching as Elijah held his brother out of the water. 

“I felt them leave,” Klaus whispered weakly. “My sireline is broken…”

Elijah winced and pulled Klaus out, setting him down on the side as Beatrix made her way to him, still weak. He took her face in his hands, staring at her as though he still couldn't believe it. "She's disconnected us," he mumbled quietly, his eyes wild. "She... she bloody managed it..."

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Beatrix whispered, her hands shaky as she grasped his face in return. "You probably feel very weak now, but we'll get your strength back... and we'll make sure you're safe, alright?"

"We're not connected anymore," he insisted, looking desperate. "Our sire bond... broken..."

She realized what he meant. "You silly thing," she breathed. "Do you think that means I don't care for you anymore? Do you think that because your sireline is broken, I won't love you when I'm ready?"

To prove her point, she pulled him in for a kiss.


	46. Chapter 46

**When they pulled away, there was silence.**

Elijah and Hayley were pretending they hadn’t seen anything. Klaus’s eyes were closed, and Beatrix brushed her palm down the side of his face.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Should have warned you.”

He smiled, remaining in the blissful moment. “Don’t be silly, love.” He managed to get to his feet, apparently feeling a bit more energized. “Well, I’ve got to handle Aurora. Make sure she suffers.”

“You should rest first, brother,” said Elijah.

“No, I will be quite fine,” Klaus assured him. “Make sure the Strix are all dead. As for you.” He pulled Beatrix up. “You—”

“Wait.” Beatrix turned to face Marcel, who was picking up the unconscious Davina. “Please, I just need one favor.”

“Marcellus, is this really the time?” said Klaus impatiently.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “Davina is going to be really angry with me for ruining this for her. Do you think… you can get Kol back?”

“Yes, I think so,” said Beatrix. “I know the spell and I have the power it takes. I’ll do it at St. Anne’s— Davina has his ashes there.”

“Thank you,” said Marcel before speeding off. Beatrix moved over and picked up a small flash, dipping it into the pool and collecting the blood of Elijah and Klaus.

“Love, what are you doing?” asked Klaus. 

“I’m going to bring back Kol,” said Beatrix gently. “For Davina. He deserves to be back, don’t you think? A Nexus Vorti was created with this, and I can use it to bring back your brother.”

Klaus opened his mouth, but Elijah spoke for him. “What Niklaus means to say is thank you,” he replied. 

“Yes, thank you,” said Klaus. “Beatrix, I will await you when you return to the Compound.”

“Sure,” she said, smiling at him as he left. “My turn to go. I assume you can clean up here?”

Hayley nodded. “We’ll finish off the rest of the Strix. Go ahead.”

Beatrix nodded in return and sped off, arriving soon after at St. Anne’s Church. She closed the door behind her and went to set up a salt circle, creating runes and sigils into it and sprinkling a few herbs in the center. She set candles up around the salt, humming and waving her hands over the area to prepare the area. _“Pripravit iiedad laboro pyinsain, nexus vorti aistiemal.”_

The candles ignited. She went to the nearby table and took the silver urn of Kol’s ashes, setting it into the middle of the circle. She took out the flask from earlier with the blood of Klaus and Elijah, and poured it into the ashes, letting the lid of the urn sit beside her.

“The blood of two brothers, the ash of their dead,” she murmured. “The blood of two brothers, the ash of their dead.”

She hummed once again, closing her eyes as she waved her hands over the urn. _“La sangre de dos hermanos, la ceniza de sus muertos. Le sang de deux frères, la cendre de leurs morts. La sangre de dos hermanos, la ceniza de sus muertos. Le sang de deux frères, la cendre de leurs morts—”_

A strong gust of wind had begun, roaring in her ears as she continued to chant. She sensed movement, and cracked open her eyes, yanking at one of the sheets on Davina’s bed and throwing it at Kol right as he appeared.

“Bloody hell, why did you have to appear naked?” said Beatrix, getting up.

“Well, I dunno, Trix, maybe it’s a rebirth thing,” he chuckled as he wrapped the sheet around his waist and stood up. “You should know, you’re the doctor.”

“I’ve never helped a woman give birth to a full grown man,” she pointed out. She reached out to her right and murmured a few words before pulling a pair of pants and some underwear out of thin air. “There you go— these were yours in 1914.”

“I remember that day,” said Kol with a laugh as he took them. He turned to face the door to get dressed, and Beatrix turned away to the window. “You were testing to see if your magic worked, and you vanished my clothes for good measure.”

The door opened and there was a soft gasp. Beatrix turned to see Davina, facing away as Kol sped to put on his clothes. “I am so sorry,” the younger witch stammered, covering her eyes. “Wow— when Marcel told me Beatrix was bringing you back, I didn’t think you’d be—”

“Butt naked?” offered Beatrix. “Yeah, I was fucking shocked too.”

“Come on, Trix, you’re supposed to be a doctor, you shouldn’t be weird about this,” teased Kol as he stepped out of the salt circle toward Davina. “It’s alright, love, I’m dressed. You can turn around.”

Davina turned around, but was met with the task of craning her neck up to look at him, though her eyes darted down toward his bare chest, then lower, as if checking he really was dressed. “You’re here,” she breathed, her cheeks turning pink.

“I’ll give you two some privacy,” said Beatrix quickly. “Kol, you’ll probably need a lot of rest. I trust you two will do well on your own.”

She didn’t leave them room for protest and instead, sped back to the Mikaelson Compound, where she found Klaus already waiting in her room.

“I assume it was a success?” he inquired. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten back so early.”

“Davina can handle him from there,” she told him, coming in and shutting the door. “By the way, be nice to her. She’s young, and she just wanted him back. It’s not her fault the Strix enticed her.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “I shall hold my temper as much as my natural self can bear it.” He stood and followed her as she went in front of her vanity and started to part her hair so that she could braid it. “Why do you look so worried?”

“Kol’s back, I just want to make sure he adjusts,” she said simply.

“Liar,” he said, coming to stand behind her and meeting her eyes through the mirror as she faced it. “Something troubles you. I can’t imagine what it must be. Wasn’t the point to bring him back? He is your best friend, after all.”

She bit her lip. “I suppose it’s weird, Klaus. He appeared naked as a newborn baby and Davina arrived just a minute later.”

“Ah, yes, she doesn’t know that you and Kol were an item, does she?”

“I don’t think she does. Not that we were an ‘item,’ really, it was just—”

“Just sex?” finished Klaus innocently. “Ah, you don’t want her to feel awkward. You selfless thing. What issue will she have knowing he was your first? It’s not like it matters.”

“I don’t want her to feel insecure, Klaus, it’s just a common courtesy.”

“Perhaps because you know that you and Kol are very comfortable with each other and she might grow jealous?”

“Yes, she might. Does it matter?”

He slid his hands around her waist, and she stopped braiding her hair. She shut her eyes, and he pulled her back against him. “It shouldn’t matter to her. After all, love, doesn’t she know that you’re interested in me?”

She shivered as he felt his breath against her neck. “Are you going to bite me?” she said innocently.

“Come now, love, I’m not into that anymore, not when my bite can kill you.”

“Key word, ‘anymore—’”

“Why?” he teased. “Do you want me to bite you?”

She opened her eyes and watched him lean in to kiss her neck. “You’re in a good mood,” she mumbled. 

“I can temporarily forget my worries about the magical forsaking of my sirelings. As I recall, you kissed me.”

“Yes, I kissed you. And what of it?”

“Did it mean anything?” he murmured as he moved his lips toward her shoulder, tugging her shirt aside to expose her skin. “Are you ready, or not? I am willing to wait as long as it takes. But I will not lie, love, I am rather eager…”

She let out the softest of moans, closing her eyes once more and leaning her head back. “Klaus, are—”

“If you’re going to ask if I’m sure,” he said as he turned her to face him, letting his lips trail towards her chest. “The answer is yes. If you’re going to ask if I feel strong enough after that spell, the answer is yes. If you’re going to ask if I’m able to wait longer, the answer is yes.”

She whimpered quietly, leaning back into the vanity. “I was going to ask,” she said softly, “are you going to take my clothes off properly or just move them around?”

He smirked, and without giving her a chance to cast any sort of Silencing Spell, he ripped her shirt right off and threw her on the bed.

“You didn’t need to ruin that shirt,” she panted softly as he crawled onto her.

“Yes I did,” he answered before tearing off her brassiere. “I can always get you another one, no harm done…”

She was about to tell him to hold back his destructive tendencies when it came to her jeans, but she was too late— he tore them off and broke the zipper.

“I would curse you if I didn’t like you so much,” she muttered, tugging him in by his hair to kiss him.

“Curse me, and you won’t get any of this,” he growled against her mouth as he unbuckled his pants.

Beatrix had forgotten what sex with Klaus was like. It was another level of intoxication and bliss. He was anything but gentle. He was impatient, and did not take as much time with foreplay as Elijah did, but he delivered in other ways, which left the Heretic crying out— begging and whimpering as he whispered all sorts of dirty words and commands in her ear. Similarly to Kai, Klaus needed control, and he took it, leaving her so tired at the end that all she could do was fall asleep and hope to regain some energy in the morning.

Klaus was trying not to worry about the sure influx of enemies that would befall New Orleans once word spread. The day after, he did not speak of it, and it was worse because both attracted quite a few stares from Freya, Hayley, and Elijah, who seemed to either be holding back a comment or a laugh. That night, they’d gone at it again, then again the next night, until finally, the morning after that, Klaus had gotten back into his state of paranoia, leaving Beatrix to wonder who it was between them that really needed to do the waiting for the other to be mentally stable enough for another shot at a relationship. 

“Niklaus, I’m surprised to see you up and about,” said Elijah teasingly. “I thought Beatrix’s bed was your new permanent residence.”

Beatrix growled and covered her face. Klaus did not laugh. He marked into his study and took a painting off the wall, revealing a safe. He pulled out a wooden box after opening it, pulling out several envelopes. He went to stand in front of Freya, Elijah, and Beatrix, showing them the letters.

Freya picked one up and began to read through it. “You collect trophies from all your victims?”

“Letters to their loved ones, to be specific,” mused Elijah.

“It was a phase,” muttered Klaus as he began pouring through the letters.

Elijah sat into the nearest chair. “A phase in which we were forced to learn a different kind of stealth. You see,” he faced Freya and Beatrix as they too, sat down, “over time, Niklaus' enemies grew so numerous, we had no choice but to artfully withdraw from the world. And then… well, I wouldn't exactly describe our presence in this city as discrete. Wouldn't you agree, Niklaus?”

Klaus let out an exasperated sigh. “We all saw the white oak destroyed! Plus, this city is crawling with vampires, all of whom had no choice but to shield me from potential foes! Were I to die, they would die, too. I couldn't have been more safe!” He rubbed his forehead. “But now my sire link is undone. Those very foes will come for me... Like never before.”

Freya sighed. “It’s only been a few days since the link was broken. Must you jump into crippling paranoia already? I thought you were doing fine after—”

“It’s a default setting,” said Elijah, rolling his eyes before glancing apologetically at Beatrix, whose cheeks were a fiery red.

“And for good reason!” Klaus snapped. 

“Well, Niklaus,” said Elijah, “if it offers you any solace whatsoever, you've ransacked Aya's belongings, torched Aurora's hunting ground, and obliterated every last splinter of the white oak. You might do better returning to your fun endeavours.”

“I would be mad to believe that,” Klaus responded in a low voice.

“Perhaps you should see a therapist,” said Elijah, raising an eyebrow. Klaus let out a soft growl and sped out of the room.

Beatrix glanced up at Elijah. “Every last splinter?” she inquired. “I highly doubt that. Aurora wouldn’t have been stupid enough to not take precaution. You know how he gets. I thought he would not dwell on it so much, but… he’s not wrong to be paranoid. He’s made too many enemies to count.”

Elijah leaned back in his seat. “And which of these is he most concerned with?”

“Just because we’ve been sleeping together doesn’t mean that he’s been telling me who he’s worried about. I’ve been a distraction to him.”

“A very loud distraction,” murmured Freya under her breath, who pretended she hadn’t said anything when Beatrix glared at her.

“At any rate, he can no longer ignore the looming threat,” the Heretic pointed out. “He’s worried because he wishes to be in a good place, he wishes to have some peace, but he’s far from it, and it aggravates him. So he takes it out on me.”

Freya immediately became concerned. “He—?”

“No, no, he doesn’t hit me. He just er— fuels himself, in certain ways.”

Elijah smirked. “I believe the term is… ‘angry sex’ nowadays.”

“Elijah, you’re an ass,” said Beatrix, covering her face again. “But yes, that’s what I meant…”

“I’m surprised he hasn't snapped you in half yet,” Elijah teased. “Or asked one of the servants to repair the bed…”

“He feeds me his blood every time we finish, are you happy?” she said with a cheeky smile.

“Yes, certainly, it pleases me to know that Niklaus can still be a gentleman after he takes his anger out on you, likely taking advantage of your flexibility and your many talents...”

“I’m not as flexible as I used to be.”

“Oh, I know that.”

At the very least, they could joke like friends. It did not seem as though he was having any progress with Hayley, but he did not seem jealous of Klaus and Beatrix. More so playful, which was fine by her. She missed back when she and the Mikaelson brothers could joke about such things. They always aimed to embarrass her, of course, but nothing permanently harmful. Just dirty jokes.

“Either way, Niklaus has reverted to his normal self,” said Elijah, getting up to pour himself some bourbon. “I expect instead of whispering what I’m sure are— what do they call it— ‘X-rated’ phrases… in your ear, now, he’ll speak of only his incessant worries of old foes coming to take their chances against him.”

“He has every right to worry. We’ll handle it, though, won’t we? We’re not going to let him deal with this. After all, we’re all in danger too, especially Freya, Hayley, and I— we can die much easier.”

“We’re not going to leave Klaus alone,” said Freya, who’d been amused at the previous topic of conversation. “Don’t worry. We just—”

Klaus was back, and he looked agitated. “What did I say of enemies?” he panted. “I just saw one. It was him. It was Gaspar Cortez.”

Freya sighed. “I assume this is someone from your box of letters?”

Klaus nodded. “The youngest son of a particularly vile family of warlords I dealt with in the 17th century, just before Beatrix was born.”

Elijah furrowed his brows. “Didn't they burn that philistine pigsty into the ground?”

Klaus scoffed, looking appalled. “Pigsty? Belaga was my favorite artist retreat! Someone had to pay for that, so I murdered Gaspar's brute of a father.”

“And?” inquired Freya.

“And one or two—”

“Five,” cut in Elijah.

“—five,” finished Klaus, “of his bloodthirsty brothers.”

“Don’t forget the mistress,” said Elijah.

Klaus looked offended. “That was an accident!”

Elijah rolled his eyes and turned to the two women. “The point is that Gaspar was but a footnote.”

“Until he became a vampire, hell-bent on hunting me,” Klaus muttered. “He's a cunning deviant, known to compel hoards of the helpless to aid him with his tasks. You see, this is exactly what I was concerned about. Devils of all kinds, crawling out of their crevices to strike at me.” He paused, listening. “Speaking of which…”

He sped away and Beatrix followed, yanking Klaus back just as he made to lunge toward Davina and Kol, who walked in together.

“What did I tell you?” Beatrix said sharply. “Don’t be rude to her.”

Kol smirked slightly at this. “Do as she says, Nik, I won’t tolerate you going after my girl.”

Hearing this, Elijah and Freya came down to the courtyard to meet them. “Hello, Elijah,” said Kol with a smile.

Elijah looked pleased to see him. “You haven’t aged a day.”

Kol then frowned at Freya. “And you…?

“Freya,” she replied.

“Right. Long-lost older sister. Speaking of twists and turns in our family tree, where might Rebekah be?”

The Mikaelson siblings shared a look. “That’s a long story,” said Klaus, looking sideways at Beatrix. They hadn’t yet told her about Rebekah— she had told them not to, for safety reasons. “And one reserved for family. Davina can see herself out.”

Kol didn’t look pleased at this. “Are you—”

“—as per usual,” interrupted Klaus, “our family faces a multitude of threats. The sooner you become acquainted with them, the better. I won't have you distracted.”

“By Davina?” snapped Kol. “You know, if you could only pull your head out of your—”

Davina stepped in and put her hands on his chest. “Kol, it’s okay, I’ll go.”

“Davina,” he started.

“You can make it up to me,” she said, turning to walk away. 

“And I will,” he said, facing her. “Dust off that fancy dress, 'cause tonight we're going dancing.”

“Okay,” answered Davina with a smile, tiptoeing to kiss him before leaving.

“I’ll be in my room,” said Beatrix with a small smile. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

And they needed her, soon enough.

Kol had written out a spell for her and Freya to do that involved the burned remains of Klaus’s collected letters. The two witches waited beside a large map of the world, pinned down at the corners by white candles.

“Mixing the ashes of these letters with your blood, Nik, will show us where your enemies are,” said Kol. He crushed up the ashes with a mortar and pestle. Beatrix handed him a goblet now full of Klaus’s blood, and Kol sprinkled the ashes into the goblet. Freya took it together and poured a bit of the mixture onto the center of the map.

Kol handed them the parchment with the spell written on it. “With feeling now, you two.”

The two linked hands over the map and closed their eyes, taking a deep breath before beginning to chant, _“Calaste piso tal tras es tros. Calaste piso tal tras es tros.”_

The effect was instantaneous. The blob of blood turned into eleven smaller droplets that scattered across the map without leaving a trail of smeared crimson. Four remained in the North America, three went to Europe, two to Africa, and one in Brazil, and one in what appeared to be South Korea. 

“Behold your greatest hits, Klaus,” said Freya. “All over the world. But only one is here,” she pointed to where one drop of blood resided on the marked ‘New Orleans.’ “Which means the legion of enemies you were worried about is an army of one.”

Kol jabbed his finger in that same direction. “I assure you, this is your Gaspar Cortez.” He leaned over the map and with a Sharpie, made a red circle around the city.

Klaus was about to respond when his phone chimed. He looked down at the message and his eyes widened slightly before he sped out.

“He’s certainly moving around quite quickly, and quite often in these past few days,” mused Elijah playfully, nudging Beatrix lightly as he moved closer to her. “Well, I am off. I shall return promptly.”

He left, and Kol raised an eyebrow. “Love triangle again, Trix?”

“No,” she replied. “It’s just Klaus. Elijah is… wanting to be with Hayley.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s not what I expected, but I’m definitely not disappointed. You’re good for Nik. I never got to see you both together but Elijah told me quite a bit.”

Freya smirked. “Should we start calling you Beatrix Mikaelson yet? The way you and Klaus have been going at it—”

“What is it with all of you being obsessed with discussing the fact I slept with your brother?” said Beatrix, cheeks reddening even more.

“It’s fun!” said Kol. “We just—”

There was a dripping noise, and they looked down at the map. The small drops of blood quivered, and began to move toward New Orleans, some faster than others.

“Well, fuck,” Beatrix muttered.

Freya let out a soft sigh. “It never stops. Never.”


	47. Chapter 47

**“So this may only be a fraction of our potential enemies,” said Elijah once he and Klaus had returned.**

Klaus chuckled. “In hindsight, we could've been nicer to people. Or at least left fewer survivors.”

Beatrix snorted. “Mostly you could’ve been nicer to people…”

“We don’t know all their motivations,” he replied. “Half of these people could want to put the bullet in Elijah’s heart! End the sire war with the pull of a trigger.”

Elijah was unfazed. “I have an army devoted to keeping me alive. The only people that care to protect you are standing in this very room. As you well know, Niklaus, there is another way.”

Klaus sighed, and Freya frowned. “You’re going to run?”

“There was a time when the name Klaus Mikaelson was little more than a rumor,” he answered. “A shadowy figure who cast fear into the very bones of any who heard whisper of him. I don't run, sister. _I disappear._ And tonight, the four of you are going to make that possible.” He held up a burlap sack with blood over it, appearing to be holding a head.

“I will get that to Marcellus,” said Elijah, taking it from him. 

“We can get started on a spell,” Kol offered. “Come on, you two.”

He led Freya and Beatrix over to the courtyard, and opened a container next to the chair he sat in, extracting a blood bag. He started drinking from it, and pulled out some other materials he’d had in a bag that’d been hanging over his shoulder. “We can do a spell that will make him untraceable, in a sense. If anyone tries to locate him, it will show he is here, in New Orleans, but in the meantime, he can disappear elsewhere.”

“I like that idea,” said Beatrix. “What should we do, then?”

He held out a chalice. “We’ll just get Nik to bleed into that. Add some oleander and spotted owl feather, I’ll give you the incantation, and we’ll be good.”

“Impressive,” said Freya. “You created this spell?”

“Well, there’s no witchcraft on this planet that I haven’t studied,” said Kol. “I solidified it the best way I could— teaching. Beatrix here is a diligent little pupil.” He looked over at his sister. “You and I met a century ago, didn't we? You were the only witch in town I couldn't charm into doing my bidding. Beatrix was the one that told me to back down and stop trying so we wouldn’t bother you. Honestly, I just figured you fancied the ladies.”

Freya blushed and rolled her eyes, though she cast a sideways look at Beatrix. “Oh, because that's the only reason a woman wouldn't swoon for you?”

Kol shrugged. “Well, either that, or you're my long-lost, not-so-dead older sister.”

Freya patted his hand. “I'm glad you're back. You should know, Rebekah kept her promise to fight for you... before the curse. And of course, Davina never gave up on you.”

Kol paused a bit, as if only just remembering he’d promised Davina a date that night. “She did right by me, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did,” said Beatrix. 

“And I have to do right by her,” he continued. “You mind if I write the spell down? Should be easy enough to figure out. There’s somewhere I ought to be.”

“I’m happy for him,” mused Freya to Beatrix once he’d left the parchment behind with the spell. The two women made their way up to Freya’s personal little study. “I experimented the other day, you know. A little.”

“Did you?” said the Heretic with a smile. “And how was it?”

“Well, one thing’s for sure, I definitely fancy women. Probably more than I fancy men.”

Beatrix patted her back in approval. “Good, Freya. Do what makes you happy.”

“I definitely will,” she chuckled lightly as the two got to working on the spell.

They were finished by the time Elijah had returned, and by the time Klaus had packed his bags along with Hayley and Hope, who were going with him.

“It’s done,” said Freya. “Any witch who does a locator spell will believe you're right here in New Orleans.”

Elijah cast the two an amused smile. “You know, for all of his mischief, Kol truly is a master of his craft.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying for years,” sighed Beatrix.

Klaus laughed. “Yes, well, drawing trouble is his forte. You'll thank him for me?”

Elijah nodded. “Don't stop driving 'til you're absolutely certain that you are safe.”

“You don’t have to remind me how precious my cargo is.” The hybrid moved to hug Eliijah before giving Freya a kiss on the cheek. “Keep him in line, would you, sister?”

She nodded, and Klaus came toward Beatrix, briefly setting down the bag in his hand so that he could cup her face. “And you, my little witch,” he muttered, “stay safe, would you? I don’t need to return to find out something’s happened to you.”

“I’ll be fine, Klaus,” she assured him. “Take care of Hope and make sure to be patient, alright, you and Hayley need to try and function as a unit, not as separate entities.”

He offered her a smile before leaning in to kiss her on the lips, picking his bag up before leaving the entrance hall.

Elijah beckoned for Freya and Beatrix to follow him. They went to the upstairs room over looking the street, remaining on the balcony as Klaus got into the car and eventually drove away.

“It’s going to be quiet around here,” Freya murmured as they watched the car disappear into the distance.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Elijah said. 

This proved to be true. In the morning, Beatrix was awoken very unceremoniously by Kol, shaking her awake and demanding she come with him to speak with Elijah.

“Why are we being roused from our beds so aggressively?” inquired Elijah

“Finn is back,” said Kol savagely, looking livid. “He’s here, in his Original body.”

Elijah frowned and shared a look with Beatrix. “Are you quite sure?”

“I saw him with my own eyes,” said Kol. “He must have come back when Beatrix resurrected me. The spell was tied to the blood of the Mikaelson line. Either it worked on him, or he found a way to hijack it. Either way, the only ‘how’ I care about right now is how long I'm going to make him suffer before I kill him.”

When Kol began to pace the room, Elijah held his hands up as if to calm him. “Restraint, brother. For now.”

“Why?” spat Kol. “Finn is clearly the one spreading rumors about missing white oak. He's luring Nik's enemies out of the woodwork. It's all part of his tedious revenge fantasy.” He turned to Beatrix. “You believe me, don’t you?”

She hesitated. “Well, the thing is, Josh, Davina’s friend, showed me that those rumors started online just before you were brought back, meaning Finn couldn’t be behind them. We need to be cautious of what his motives are but if he was tied in and I brought him back, he might not even have a plan.”

Kol glared at her. “After all these years being my friend and you’re supporting him?”

“I’m not supporting him, Kol, I’m trying to ease the tension so you don’t go act rashly. Yes, I am furious for what he did to you and I’m not letting that slide, but you can’t just go about saying Finn is guilty for a million things.”

He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. “I can’t?” he snarled. She stared at him blankly. Kol had always been the most temperamental one, and this wasn’t all that out of character for him. “How can you say that? He’s behind this!”

“Finn is innocent,” said Freya as she walked into the room, crossing her arms and sitting on the desk behind her. “Beatrix is right. Unhand her, brother.”

Kol let go of her, but glared at his sister. “Pardon me, love, but Finn tried to kill the rest of us more than once! He's an enemy of our family.”

“He is our family,” corrected Freya. “Finn's return is an opportunity to mend old wounds and fix what's broken.”

Kol nearly flipped the table beside him. “He didn't just drop a bloody vase! He _murdered_ me.”

Elijah held up a finger to silence Kol, and faced his elder sister. “You seem certain…”

“Is everyone siding with her?” Kol growled, looking at Beatrix as if expecting her to aid him. “Trix, you’re the only one who’s consistently been at my side when they cast me out, can’t you—?”

“Let’s just hear her the bloody hell out!” snarled Beatrix. “You know I respect you, Kol, so don’t go starting a problem with me. I’m trying to keep you calm because in case you forgot, your girlfriend is human and that temper isn’t going to fly.”

“Time and time again,” Elijah said to Freya once the other two were quiet, “Finn has demonstrated nothing but contempt toward his family. So, you tell me— how can you be so certain that he would return to us in peace?”

She did not answer, because Finn himself entered the library, holding his hands up in surrender. “Our sister knows me well,” he said smoothly. “Though, perhaps you're right to doubt my intentions. By all means, let's discuss our family quarrels. I believe we're long overdue.”

Elijah fixed his jacket. “Yes, I believe we are. Just one moment.” He raised his phone as it began to ring and stepped out of the room.

Finn turned to Beatrix. “You may leave, Heretic, this does not concern you.”

“Don’t have a go at her!” snarled Kol. “She’s more family than you are!”

“My, my, have I really been shoved aside by a child?” said Finn, amused. “After all, compared to us, she is very, very young, but of course, our brothers do enjoy having their playthings, it makes sense they’d take a fancy to someone not so ancient. Someone who can’t subdue them...”

Kol lunged forward, but Beatrix and Freya jumped between them. “Piss off, Finn, before there’s really a problem!” spat Kol. 

“Oh, Kol, your temper is still getting the best of you,” Finn chided boredly. “Needing witches to hold you back… isn’t your girlfriend a witch? Wonder how long it’ll be before you tear her throat out—”

This time, both of them lunged at each other, but the majority of their squabble was mostly Finn dodging in between trying to strike Kol.

“Stop it!” hissed Beatrix, flicking her wrists and creating a barrier between them.

“Take a swing at me, huh?” sneered Kol. “All these side-steps and parries... Even the way you fight is boring.”

“It's an odd critique,” shot back Finn, “considering all your flair and flourish couldn't keep you from being bested the last time we faced each other—”

Kol swung his leg out, knocking Beatrix to the floor and disrupting her barrier spell, shoving Freya aside before pinning Finn back onto a wall. However, before he could do anything, another person sped into the room, pulling Kol off of Finn. Lucien put him in a chokehold, and then turned to Beatrix. “Perhaps we should let them fight? After all, they can't actually kill each other.”

“What are you even doing here?” said Beatrix, waving her hand and making Lucien be moved away from Kol.

“Behave yourselves!” Elijah said loudly as he returned to the room. “Particularly considering we'll be confined here together for the foreseeable future.”

“What the bloody fucking hell does that mean?” Kol demanded.

“I believe the term is ‘staycation,’” Elijah answered. “You see, Niklaus isn't the only one who's inspired revenge fantasies. Right now, we are all at risk. So, while Marcel works to retrieve the white oak, I recommend we dispense with the posturing and get down to some good, old-fashioned family bonding.”

Kol immediately stormed out of the room, not interested in associating with the others. Beatrix frowned and followed after him, finding him out in the hallway.

“They always shove me the hell aside!” he growled, grabbing a nearby vase and throwing it across the room, causing it to shatter when it hit the ground.

“Hey, control yourself,” she said sternly, reaching in the direction of the vase and making it fly back into her hand, repaired. “Kol, I know you’re not happiest with me, either, right now, but this is not the time to contribute to more conflict between your family. Finn is an ass, I won’t pretend he isn’t. But you’re all in danger. Especially Freya. They have no right to be shutting you down, but if you continue to be so fiery, they won’t have any problem continuing to do so as well. There is a chance that things can get better if we all just try and approach it with more patience.”

Kol huffed, but suddenly stopped, listening in on a conversation in the next room. He moved closer to one of the nearby windows, and motioned for Beatrix to follow along.

“So tell me,” Elijah was saying to Finn, “how was Hell? Is it warm this time of year?”

Finn let out a gruff sigh. “You always had a penchant for idle chat.”

“Well, perhaps we could discuss something a little bit more constructive,” replied Elijah.

“Do you intend to threaten me into being a better brother?”

“Depends. Why are you here?

“Could you believe me if I told you I'd changed?”

“Have you?” asked Elijah skeptically. Kol smirked at this. 

“Yes... and no,” responded Finn. “All that time trapped alone in Freya's pendant, I was able to reflect on what we've become over a millennium. I'm still sickened by what you are, but I'm done trying to atone for past sins.”

The sound of someone walking round the room could be heard— likely Elijah. “It is curious the way you speak as though you and I are not the same…”

“We are not the same!” Finn sneered. “You see, I still have a chance at some small happiness, and I'm going to take it. My proposal is simple— allow Freya to put me back in a witch's body. Let the two of us go, and I promise never to look back again.”

At this, Kol’s eyes became darker, and he turned to Beatrix angrily before speeding away.

Beatrix let out a frustrated groan, hearing as Elijah left the other room.

“Come out, Heretic,” called Finn. “I can sense you’re there.”

Well, fuck. She hadn’t wanted to speak with him. But she went into the room with him anyway, and he crossed his arms. “Is it so wrong of me to despise this wretched body?” he inquired. “It’d be much more bearable if I could simultaneously be a witch, as you are.”

“No, it’s not wrong to hate your body,” she said with a cheeky smile. “But nowadays, they call that being self-conscious.”

Finn rolled his eyes, and she continued speaking, “What I find wrong is that you want to take over a body that doesn’t belong to you. You want to use someone else as a puppet the way you did with Vincent.”

He scoffed. “You find that wrong, do you?” he inquired. “If that’s wrong, I can’t imagine what you think of the horrid things my brothers have done.”

“I never said that what everyone’s done isn’t bad,” she replied. “In fact, I’m terrible myself— that’s something I won’t deny. But with the way things are right now, it’s really not the best idea to be perpetuating animosity. Trust me, I hate having to be fake and pretend to like a horrendous situation, but this is your chance to rekindle. Pushing everyone away and being rude won’t do anyone any good. You’re all at risk and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from observing the lot of you, it’s that when you actually try to function as a cohesive unit, you get a lot done.”

He shook his head. “Foolish, young girl,” he said. “I can’t imagine how you’re still around.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been with what, all three of my brothers and you are not yet dead? Perhaps your condition is worse than death. I hear… imprisonment, madness, darkness…”

“And what of it?”

“You have no ties to them. No blood binds you here. Why haven’t you left?”

“What reason have I to leave? They are the only family I have left.”

“They will ruin you,” he pointed out. “It’s a slow-growing poison that’ll tear you apart. You won’t survive. The longer you associate with them, the less years you have left in the foreseeable future. You deserve better.”

Beatrix frowned. “I’m not abandoning them. That’s the difference between you and me, Finn. You have this family and yes, you have every right to despise them, but they are your family no matter what, and all you do is push each other away. I chose to consider them family and I choose to stay because I have gotten to know them and have understood all their flaws.”

“You expect me to look past all of that?” he growled. 

He moved closer to her, and she backed away ever so slightly. She did not know him well enough, and she didn’t know how he was going to react. Given his age, he would likely have been the strongest and fastest of the Original siblings and could have killed her before she could blink, but after not having trained in the way his brothers did, she wasn’t sure he could even match up to Kol’s abilities. Either way, she took the safer route and moved away. 

“Nine hundred years they kept me in a coffin with a dagger inside of me,” he said lowly. “Don’t speak to me of forgiveness, Heretic, because I heard it. That day, in whatever year it was. You. Your _voice_. And them shutting you down. I had barely enough strength to hear, but I could, because it was the only time in nine hundred years that someone opened that lid and spoke to me.”

_It was 1918, just after Beatrix had finished her violent episode after losing her magic. She felt isolated and bored, and had wandered about the Compound looking for something to do._

_Never before had she looked into the lower rooms where the coffins were kept. She ran her hand over the coffin Kol was in, then stopped at another that she could sense was occupied. She’d heard stories of Finn, but had never seen him._

_She opened the lid and looked at him. Her hand reached tentatively over the dagger in his chest, before she withdrew it slowly. “I haven’t met you, yet,” she said, looking over his desiccated face. “I suppose you’re a good person to talk to. You might not understand what it means when I say that I lost my mind, but I did. And they say you’re critical but moral— more so than Elijah. Kol told me once that you and I would have gotten along very well. But they say that you hate what you all are, and that they won’t release you because all you do is judge. I think that’s unfair. So I suppose maybe you’re the one who could understand me most. I feel you might like to be up and around again. It’s not fair to be shut in a box for so many years…”_

_She had reached her hand back to the dagger, and had wrapped her palm around the hilt to pull it out, but just before she could move it, a hand caught her wrist and she let out a surprised gasp. Elijah had stopped her, and on the other side of her, Klaus was glaring at her._

_“What do you think you’re doing?” the hybrid growled._

_“I-I thought—”_

_Elijah moved her hand away from the dagger and turned her to face him. “Beatrix, we do not wish to chastise you so soon when you have not yet recovered, but do not ever try to do something like this without consulting us. You did not know our brother and he could very well kill you the instant he awakes.”_

_She gulped. “I-I didn’t think—”_

_“You didn’t think he posed a danger to you?” scoffed Klaus behind her. “What is the bloody point of us keeping you here, love? You are not safe out there. Do not make it unsafe for you in here, too.” He turned her to face him, looking into his eyes to compel her. “Don’t ever try to wake any of my daggered siblings again. No matter who it is, or what anyone else says.”_

_“Alright,” she breathed, unable to resist. Without her magic, she was still weak, and vulnerable. “I won’t do it again…”_

“I didn’t know you could hear,” said Beatrix quietly. 

“Yours was the only voice aside from my family’s that I ever heard. And I thought, for a moment, you would have freed me, and I was ready to awake once more. I wouldn’t have harmed you— how could I be such a beast? They pretend to know me, but if they really gave a single damn, they’d know that I would never be brutish enough to harm a woman, especially not the one who was going to give me a chance to be free. 

“But it was my brothers that stopped you. And so, I remained there. Gathering hatred and that ‘animosity’ you speak of. The only accompaniment I had ringing in my head was that conversation, which only reminded me of the fact that my family cannot stand me. So what did I have left to do but despise what we were? I never wanted to be such a beast. They became the worst of the lot.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. He looked furious, and she still feared he’d kill her…

“Even now, you are afraid of me,” he said, ceasing his movements toward her. “I can hear your heart beating a million miles an hour. You are so conditioned to cruelty and pain. You are accustomed to suffering because you are an unofficial Mikaelson. I hear you were trapped and tortured and brought on an insurmountable amount of pain that none can tolerate unless they’re supernatural. 

“If Niklaus really cared, he never would have helped turn you. He’d have made sure you didn’t die with his blood in your system. He would have helped you be free. If Kol really cared, he’d have helped you find a place among those witches he’s met all over the world— he’d have helped you be free of the Mikaelsons. 

“And if Elijah really cared, he never would have attached himself to you. He would have healed you from that episode and compelled you to forget them. Compelled you to start a new life, change your identity. But they didn’t, and it only put you in more danger. You lost part of your life and returned back into the fray. All they do is use you, can’t you see that? I tell you this because I cannot seem to be freed of this wretched life, but you have a chance.”

Finn glared into her soul. “Get out while you have the chance. My brothers are not like me— they will not give you this option because they need you. They want you wrapped around their fingers. Kol wants someone on his side. He will not wish for you to go, not when you can be his backup whenever he has an idiotic idea. Elijah and Niklaus desire a plaything in bed that they can toy with and toss aside. You are better than this. So get out. Were you mine, I’d never forsake you in this manner. They will get you killed, mark my words.”

He left the room, leaving her stunned.


	48. Chapter 48

**Beatrix went to find Kol afterward.**

He was drinking a glass of bourbon in the library balcony, his hands shaking. “What happened?” asked Beatrix immediately. “Kol—”

“I heard your conversation with Finn,” he said scathingly. “You see, how he tries to smarm up to people? He thinks he can butt in— you know perfectly well that you’re free and you’ve known it for ages. I’d like to—”

“Whatever it is you’re planning,” came a stern voice behind them. “Don’t.”

Kol didn’t turn to face Elijah. “He cursed me to die, Elijah. Slowly. In front of Davina. And now he thinks he can turn Beatrix against her. I owe him for that…”

“Perhaps,” said Elijah, coming to stand beside Beatrix. “And perhaps the best revenge is to simply expel him from our lives altogether?”

“No!” snarled Kol, whirling to look at his brother angrily. “He doesn’t get to live happily ever after!”

Elijah held up his hand. “I haven’t made my final decision— I only ask that you stay your hand.”

“That isn’t your decision to make!” Kol spat, smashing the glass in his hand.

“Kol,” said Beatrix, stepping between them quickly. “Breathe—”

“Don’t bloody tell me to breathe!” he roared, picking up a chair and throwing it across the room.

“Control yourself!” Elijah said sharply. But Kol simply fumed and made to flip the table, and Beatrix had to intervene. “Unless you can’t…” finished the older Original.

“It’s worse than I remember,” Kol said, shaking as he sank down. “The rage… the hunger…”

He was crying, and both Beatrix and Elijah felt themselves tense as he continued to speak, “I’d like to blame my anger on Finn, but it's been growing worse since I came back. I never did learn how to keep it in check. I never really cared to…”

“But now you do,” Elijah whispered.

He nodded and covered his face. “I couldn't live with myself if I hurt Davina. But, hurting the ones we love, whether we mean to or not... That's just what we do, isn't it?”

Elijah hesitated to answer. “It’s who we are…”

“It shouldn’t be who we are!” he said. “Did you not hear what Finn has been telling Beatrix? We’ve made life unbearable and dangerous for anyone who associates with us! Davina is in danger every moment I’m with her because I might lose control and kill her. All these years, every woman has been ruined by their association with us. Beatrix is the only one who has survived, but she’s been tormented more than the rest. You, Elijah, you forced her to put away her magic and left her with a mental breakdown and now Klaus,” he looked up at the Heretic, “he wants you again even though he’s done nothing but be rude to you. He takes advantage of how forgiving you are. But he will never treat you with respect, not the way you deserve. Finn is right— you should leave.”

“Don’t say that,” she told him, kneeling in front of him. “I will help you learn to control that hunger, Kol, I’m sure there is a spell to make it easier—”

Kol ignored her and got up, walking out of the room.

The Heretic got back to her feet. “Something is wrong,” she murmured. “I hadn’t thought his behavior was different but something is off.”

“He hasn’t had a girlfriend who is mortal in a very long time,” Elijah muttered. “That last… mostly serious one… was… before we even met you. She was a vampire, and she was a Ripper. Not a good influence.”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “We have to do our best to help him. As for Finn, I’m not even going to give input, I already know that anything I say will be disliked by at least one party, so I shouldn’t get involved.”

Elijah opened his mouth to speak, but they both faltered, hearing the sound of a commotion below. They sped down just in time to keep Kol from shoving a lit candle through Finn’s chest.

“ENOUGH!” bellowed Elijah, jumping between his brothers. Behind them, Lucien and Freya had come, and Davina was even further back, looking shocked. 

“This isn’t your fight!” Kol spat.

“I told you to stay your hand!” Elijah retorted. 

“Fine,” Kol growled, throwing the candle across the room. “I’d rather take my chances out there with white oak then stay here with you lot.”

He turned to leave, and Davina followed. Freya rushed to check on Finn, who remained mostly unscathed. “He’ll be fine,” said Elijah, reaching into his pocket. “Marcel has paid us a visit. The last remaining white oak in the world…” he extracted the wooden bullet, “right here.”

Finn glared at the bullet as Elijah held it up for Freya. “Sister, if you would be so kind?”

She nodded and flicked her wrist at the nearby fire pit, making it burst into flames. Elijah threw the bullet, and Finn yelled out his protest, speeding to the fire and diving his hand in to get the bullet before it could be burned to a crisp.

“Brother!” said Elijah sharply. 

Finn fell to his knees. “The little witch has condemned me to this! To remain a beast! Elijah… I can’t bear an eternity with no hope of escape. Can you?”

“Finn, give it to me,” Elijah said, holding his hand out to receive the white oak. “Give it to me…”

But Finn did not concede, and Lucien sighed, speeding to Finn, snatching the bullet from him, before stopping beside Elijah and handing him the bullet. 

Elijah, however, did not immediately incinerate it. Beatrix and Freya both glared at him, like, ‘what are you waiting for?’ 

“Come on, then,” said Lucien impatiently. “After all this time… go on and destroy it!”

Elijah still looked conflicted. 

“Forever is a burden that nobody should have to bear!” Finn pleaded with him.

“You cannot keep that white oak in this house, Elijah,” Lucien insisted. “It is already a beacon drawing your enemies to you.”

“I agree with Lucien, for once,” said Beatrix.

“For once?” he teased. “You wound me, love. But perhaps the best solution is obvious. Entrust it to the one who loves each of you most.”

Finn’s eyes widened at this and he looked at Freya, who at last, nodded. “I can cloak myself. If it has to exist, at least I can take it far away. Hide it under a thousand spells, somewhere where no one else will ever find it.”

Beatrix frowned. “Well, yes, that’s an alternative, but I can also vanish it— I’ve vanished many things and only I have access.”

“That’s flawed, love,” said Lucien. “What happens when someone needs release and you’re not around to get it back?”

Freya agreed with this. “Yes, I will take it. That way, I can retrieve it when someone is ready, and needs it.”

Elijah looked unsure, but after much deliberation, he placed the bullet in his sister’s hand. She dropped it into her pocket and smiled at him. “I will get ready to leave, then,” she said before walking up to her study.

Looking mostly satisfied, Finn and Elijah left the courtyard. Beatrix sighed and sat back into the nearest chair. “I really think it would have been best that I vanished it.”

“I just thought they might protest,” said Lucien sincerely, sitting across from her. “I know you’re trying to rekindle things with Klaus, and with his paranoia… he might have grown distant with you if he knew you were the only one with access to the weapon that could kill them. He trusts you, but it might have been dangerous for the future of your relationship. He doubts anyone and everyone who isn’t blood— he even doubts blood, for that matter.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, you’re right… I didn’t think of that. They wouldn’t have liked that I’d have access to it, if something went wrong and we had a falling out.”

“At least this way, Freya can take her older sister role and they won’t protest. The less fighting, the better.”

She offered him a smile. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Oh, courting Freya,” Lucien answered casually.

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Yes. She seems mostly uninterested but alas… you’re no longer available, are you?”

She blushed. “Lucien, that was a one time thing, I never meant to hint that it would be more. If I led you on, then I apologize, but that was certainly not my intention.”

“No, don’t worry, love, I actually never thought you led me on. I just meant that perhaps, in other circumstances, things would’ve been different.” 

Beatrix hummed. “Yes, that’s true.”

He stood up. “You know what you should do?” he said. “Now that Freya is leaving with the white oak and Klaus can return, you ought to put on something sexy and wait for him.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to get me in bed again?”

“Nonsense, darling, I respect my sire too much to try and snatch his girl. I just mean, well, with a body like that, you’ll be a perfect welcome home gift.”

Beatrix felt her cheeks heat up as Lucien took her hand and kissed the back of it. “If he ever breaks it off, though, love, you know where I’ll be. I do advise you, be careful. He can get impatient and you don’t deserve to be rushed. You still need time to heal and you shouldn’t feel ashamed about that. A good man would wait, and if he doesn’t wish to wait much longer, then that’s a bad sign, isn’t it?”

He didn’t wait for her response, and simply walked out.

Beatrix, of course, didn’t end up dressing up in her sexiest lingerie because Klaus wasn’t going to be returning that night. Instead, she grabbed a tub of birthday cake ice cream and a tub of strawberry and used magic to mix them before digging in and watching as many movies at 4x speed as she could, which for some reason, made sense.

Really, she was trying to distract herself. Lucien had gotten her thinking of Klaus and Kai. Soon, the one year mark of Kai’s death would arrive, and she felt guilty, because she really did feel she was moving on already. She wondered if that was bad. And Lucien hadn’t been wrong— they both knew Klaus was highly impatient, and she worried, too, deep down, that he wouldn’t want to wait for her to be ready for a relationship.

But in the morning, there was no time for her to think anymore. Freya had disappeared overnight, and Davina and Kol had arrived to the Compound pale and worried with a video message from Vincent Griffith.

“Davina, listen,” said Vincent in the video as Elijah pressed play on the phone for himself, Finn, and Beatrix to watch. “I know we are not on the best of terms, but I need you to listen to me, okay? Um, we're in serious trouble. Now, I'm recording this here because it's— it's free from magic, and magic is our enemy. The Ancestors got me on the hook doing some pretty twisted magic, and I want no part of it, but they're forcing me to help Lucien Castle.”

Beatrix tensed as Vincent kept speaking, “And, if you don't help me, Freya Mikaelson's gonna die. Before they forced me to take her, they had me put up a cloaking spell, so we can't be tracked. Now, Lucien's taking us out of town someplace, I don't know where... but there's a loophole.”

Davina motioned for Elijah to pause the video. “That loophole is Finn, I know it.”

He made a face. “Just how am I the loophole?”

Kol’s response was clearly impatient. “Last year, when Esther first brought us back, I got put in the body of a gormless twit, but you got housed in one of the most powerful witch bodies in the city— Vincent's. And, even after all this time, there's still an echo of a body-soul connection between you two. Press play again, Elijah.”

He did, and Vincent kept speaking, “And Davina, that's where you come into play. I need a powerful witch that's off the Ancestors' radar. I would ask Beatrix, but I fear that Lucien’s taken precaution, and made sure the Ancestors are keeping tabs on her. She is New Orleans born and even without a Coven, she hasn’t been shunned, and we can’t risk her doing this kind of magic and ruining the plan. If the Ancestors find out she’s meddling with it, the spell can backfire and kill her. So Davina,” in the video, Vincent used a knife to slice into his palm, dripping his blood into a small vial that was currently in Davina’s hand. “I want you to find the thread between me and Finn.”

Elijah turned off the video and looked up at Davina. “Have you ever done anything like this?”

“No,” she admitted. “I don’t even know if it’s possible. But, I do have Vincent's blood. If I can take Finn's blood and do the spell right, I should be able to track Vincent down.”

Finn stood, and began to pace the room. “I should have sensed something was wrong when Freya didn't call. Now Lucien has a head start.”

“No wonder he didn’t want me vanishing the white oak,” muttered Beatrix, rubbing her temples. “I feel so stupid. He brought up Klaus to distract me…”

Finn let out a gruff sigh. “Go, witch,” he said to Davina. “Tend to your spells. I won't rest until she's found.”

Kol scoffed. “Behold, the selfless martyr! First, he wants to rip Davina's head off for trapping him in his body. Now he can't wait to be spelled.”

Finn walked over to him, but Elijah stood and spoke first. “Finn, you shall accompany Beatrix and I in our search. Kol, you stay here with Davina.”

Kol was shocked. “You’re going with him? So, the two people responsible for not destroying the white oak when they had the chance, thus putting us in this bloody mess, are now off to try and fix it. That's just marvelous. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, especially taking a witch who’s compromised when it comes to fighting these Ancestors?”

Beatrix frowned, but Davina addressed Kol. “Look at me,” she said. “I don't know this magic. I need your help. Come on.”

She led him out, and Elijah handed a knife to Finn. “Let us begin.”

“Do not give me orders, brother,” he snapped. “And make no mistake— I do not look to you as an ally, or even family. The only reason I tolerate your presence is the hope of finding Freya.”

He took the knife and cut into his palm, depositing his blood in a nearby glass.

“Lovely,” said Beatrix with a wry look. “Time for the best roadtrip ever.”

She likely manifested it with her sarcastic statement.

It was quiet. Elijah was driving, Finn was riding shotgun, and Beatrix was in the back, her seatbelt off and legs up in boredom, careful not to do any magic. She planned to sleep at first, but she was too anxious. Stupid Lucien.

It took forever to arrive, and it was worse that no one spoke at all until they had passed the ‘Welcome to Mystic Falls’ sign. 

“Of course,” scoffed Finn when they stopped at a railroad crossing for the train to pass. “Mystic Falls. Birthplace of our sorrows. At least, I know the witch in the backseat shares my distaste for this town.”

“The witch in the backseat has a bloody name,” muttered Beatrix as she sat up, leaning back as Elijah looked at her through the rearview mirror, as if wanting to roll his eyes. Instead, he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.

“So,” continued Finn, “are we to drive around this entire pathetic town, hoping to run into my sister before Lucien murders her?”

Elijah let out a loud sigh. “Kol has a plan.”

Finn scoffed. “Kol and his ridiculous gambits.”

Elijah glanced back at Beatrix through the mirror again. “Nine hundred years in a box… and zero patience.”

“Elijah,” she said sternly. 

Finn was obviously offended. “It’s all a joke to you, isn’t it? ‘Nine hundred years in a box’ just rolls off your tongue as if the time passed without consequence. I assure you, it did not.”

“What are you suggesting?” Elijah asked. “We never experienced anything, least of all the passage of time.”

“Being daggered for decades and being daggered for centuries are very different things,” said Finn angrily. “It starts off as a dim pinprick of light, growing brighter year after year, a slow consciousness that I was paralyzed, entombed in my own mind. The despair… utter loneliness… all amplified and made endless. The one time I heard a voice, you kept her from freeing me, and another century passed.”

Elijah was quiet. He looked almost guilty as he began to drive again.

Another awkward silence. Beatrix felt like a third wheel to what would probably soon become a brotherly brawl. Elijah parked the car near the center of town, and they got out, walking onto the town square sidewalk.

“How will we know when or if this magic trick of Kol’s works?” asked Finn, sitting back on the hood of the car. 

“He says you’ll know,” replied Elijah. “It's strange... The birthplace of our very misfortune, beyond that hill. Do you recall the first time we fled together, Finn?”

Beatrix awkwardly shuffled as Finn rolled his eyes. Elijah continued, “We were but children. Nothing but the clothes on our back, desire we had no idea how to control, and a father hellbent on erasing us from the earth.”

He began to walk into the park, and Finn and Beatrix reluctantly followed. “The first of many times we ran together over the next one hundred years,” said Finn, “‘til you all left me entombed for nine centuries…”

Elijah sighed. “You were a danger.”

“Danger?”

“Yes.”

“Klaus and Kol killed everything that moved, yet I was the one considered too dangerous to undagger?”

“Despite their bloodlust, you were the poison that crippled—”

Beatrix jumped between them as Finn lunged at Elijah. “Poison?” Finn snarled. “I anchored us!”

“You despised us,” Elijah shot back. “You despised yourself, terrified of everything that we became. You threatened our very survival, Finn, just as you have every time we made the mistake of freeing you from that box.”

“I was made that way because of that box!” Finn sneered. “Every time I close my eyes, I go back to that black horizon, that place where I was abandoned and forgotten by my own family. So yeah, I came out mad. And I remain so.”

“Let’s focus on finding Freya,” Beatrix interjected, yanking both forward by the neck of their shirts. “In a civil manner, if you please.”

She pulled them until they stopped struggling, then walked toward the Mystic Grill, taking the path toward the back entrance.

“I hate it here,” Finn muttered as they made their way down the steps. “This place birthed all our pain and sorrow. I refuse to let it be the place where our sister dies. Let us not wait for Kol and his witch's tricks— let us simply tear this town apart and find her.”

“Yeah, that's not gonna happen.”

They all turned and looked up to see the Sheriff pointing a handgun at them. “See, I just ran every single vampire out of this town. So, visiting hours are, well... never.”

“I’m fucking terrified,” said Beatrix, rolling her eyes. “We’re not on a vacation, silly boy.”

The male stared at her. “Beatrix La Salle. Elijah Mikaelson.”

“Matthew Donovan,” replied Elijah simply. “How adorably inconvenient.” He held up his wrist to check the time. “Unfortunately, we don't have time to play right now. I'll pass your regards along to Rebekah.”

Matt ignored him and looked over at Finn. “Finn, isn’t it? Sorry, I suck at names, but I never forget a face— especially when it's someone I've already killed.” He pointed at a spot behind them, on the stairs they’d already walked down. “That was right over there, right? Did you come back for some more?”

Finn glared at him patronizingly. “Do you expect to scare me with that crude little toy? Two Originals… a Heretic who has no restraint… you’re outmatched.”

“Why are you here?” Matt demanded.

“My sister Freya has been taken,” said Eliijah. When Matt made a face, Elijah rolled his eyes. “Yes, we have another. Option one— you go about your business like a good little boy. Option two? Violent disembowelment. What's it gonna be?”

“I’m gonna go with option three,” said Matt. “This is my town, my business. Especially when it comes to anything with fangs. Now, you, me, and these ten wooden hollow points can stand here and argue that fact, but... how much time does your sister really have?”

Beatrix’s eyes flashed murderously. “Seriously, I don’t wish to murder you knowing that Rebekah had a liking for you. So put that little thing down.”

“You’re more scared of it, are you?” he taunted. “They don’t need to be white oak bullets to kill you.”

“Darling, your little friend group can’t damage me more than I already am. Why don’t you—”

But she stopped, because suddenly, Finn started to let out several groans of pain, leaning onto the restaurant wall. He fell to his knees, clutching his head. Elijah sped to his side. “Finn?”

It took several deep breaths before he spoke. “I know where they are.”

“Perfect, time for a field trip,” said Beatrix, waving her hand and making Matt be brought through the air toward them. She gripped his wrist and grabbed onto Elijah’s hand, whose other one was holding Finn’s. “Come on, bus driver.”

Finn glared at her before speeding all of them out into the forest, where they arrived just as Lucien was putting Freya into a chokehold in front of a stone bowl and an unconscious Vincent.

“Lucien,” said Beatrix sharply. 

He turned to face her, keeping Freya in a headlock. “Oh, just in time for the party! Cheers—” He took out a bottle of a strange mixture and drank it. “Let the fun begin! Can anyone get to me faster than I can rip your darling sister’s head off? Didn’t think so. And before you try, love, your Heretic magic won’t work on me. The Ancestors made sure of it.”

Beatrix wasn’t about to take that for an answer, and she raised her hand, intending to blast Lucien back, but immediately, she let out a scream, her hand folding itself back, fingers cracking and snapping, causing her to drop to her knees from the pain.

Behind her, there was movement, and Matt’s gun fired three times. She looked up wildly to see three gunshot wounds in Freya’s body, which had gone through her and gone into Lucien’s heart.

“Oh, you clever bastard,” Lucien hissed as he dropped down. Finn and Elijah immediately sped to Freya. Finn held her head as Elijah bit into his wrist and began to feed Freya his blood.

“What the hell was that?” said Matt, who had come to see if Beatrix was alright. “Caroline said your magic had no limits!”

“Apparently, all the New Orleans Ancestral witches are ganging up against me,” she said, rubbing her wrist as her bones began to heal. 

There was a loud gasp, and Freya looked around wildly. “Where is h-he?” she croaked. 

“That guy?” said Matt as he went to see if Vincent was alright, nodding toward Lucien. “Dead.”

“N-No…” Freya whimpered.

“Listen to me,” said Elijah urgently, “it’s done, it’s over.”

“You d-don’t understand,” she stammered. “He d-drank the s-serum!”

“What?” said Finn incredulously.

“H-He wanted you to k-kill him— y-you helped him t-take the final step—”

There was a rustling of leaves, and Beatrix’s eyes widened as Lucien stood up, eyes red, and an extra set of fangs on both the bottom and top rows of his teeth.


	49. Chapter 49

**Matt immediately shot at him.**

Round after round collided with Lucien but it did no damage. He simply laughed and spread his arms wide as the bullets went through, healing as quickly as they were made.

He moved forward and backhanded Matt so hard that he flew backward, being knocked unconscious. Elijah dove forward and punched him, but Lucien was a greater match for his skill now, and Finn had to dodge so as to not be hit by Lucien. 

“Poor show, poor show!” Lucien mocked. “Come on, gents, you can do better, surely!”

Elijah sped to him, but Lucien kicked him back in the chest. “What do you think, Elijah? This new power— it suits me, no?”

Beatrix took her turn, trying to knock Lucien down, but he very quickly put her in a chokehold facing Elijah. “I’ve pondered this,” he told him as she wheezed and tried clawing out of his arms. “Who to end first, Elijah, or Klaus? I had thought him. But now that I’m here, I think it should be you.”

He let go of Beatrix, who coughed and tried to get air back into her lungs. Lucien lifted Elijah off the ground and was ready to bite him before Finn shot forward and smashed the old basin from earlier against Lucien’s head. This made Lucien drop Elijah, but instead, he grabbed Finn and bit him hard in the neck, causing him to let out a yell of pain.

Elijah caught Finn as he fell, and Lucien made to get Elijah next, but Freya held out her wrists, managing to make a barrier that kept Lucien from getting her brothers.

“A barrier spell?” remarked Lucien. “How delicious.” He ran his fingers along the invisible boundary. “I do appreciate a bit of spice being thrown into the hunt. It isn't very fun if the quarry just rolls over and offers its neck, is it?”

“I can keep this up as long as I need to,” said Freya as Lucien kept going, seeing the border completely circled her and her brothers. But because of Beatrix being behind Lucien, it didn’t shield her, and he seemed to realize this.

“I don’t doubt it, you little minx,” he told Freya as he stepped back. “Never mind. I have waited a thousand years... I can wait a tad longer. I'm gonna enjoy making this last a long time.”

He came over to Beatrix and yanked her up by the throat, holding her up to his level, though that meant she only hovered about three inches off the ground. “You, my dear, have more of a choice, don’t you? Join me or fall with them. I’ll let you ponder on it.”

He dropped her and sped away so quickly that it was as though he vanished into thin air. Beatrix let out a hoarse noise as she went toward Finn, who was wheezing and holding his throat. It was bloody and looked quite painful, and it wasn’t healing.

“Let me try,” said Beatrix, coming over and pressing her hands near it. She started to siphon, but let out a cry of pain as her fingers turned red, as if they were burning. “What the—?”

“We need to get him back to New Orleans, now,” said Elijah, picking him up. “Text Klaus and tell him to meet us at the Compound.”

She nodded and brought her phone out. “This is insane— it’s like the Ancestors are blocking me from siphoning because the magic is so dark, it’ll only strengthen me.”

Beatrix would have much rather had a repeat of the earlier car ride instead of the anxiety-filled journey back to New Orleans. Freya was in the backseat trying to soothe Finn while Beatrix sent Klaus the details and made sure he wasn’t going to skive off his duties as a brother with magical blood.

Finn was delusional by the time they arrived, carrying him to the couch. “Don’t leave me in here!” he bellowed. “Don’t leave me alone!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” said Freya as they got his head to rest against the pillow. “You’re not alone, Finn. I’m here.”

“Don’t leave,” Finn whimpered, grabbing Elijah tightly as he tried to steady him.

“Why is he talking like this?” asked Freya fearfully.

“It’s hallucinations,” said Beatrix. “It’s the kind of thing a werewolf bite does.”

“Hallucinations specifically of our betrayal,” said Elijah uncomfortably. “It’s his nightmare.”

There were footsteps, and Kol walked in casually. “Well, he looks awful,” he said as he flopped onto the opposite couch. “Werewolf bite. That's got to hurt, mate. So, Lucien's a bloody hybrid?”

“We don't know what he is,” said Elijah. “His venom seems to work twice as fast.”

“That's good,” Freya mumbled. “Maybe it'll work through his system twice as fast.”

Kol got up and shrugged. “Or it’s twice as lethal. Now, if Niklaus doesn't get here in time, he might die. With a bit of luck…”

Freya immediately got up and punched Kol right in the face. “What is wrong with you?!” she spit in his face.

The veins appeared under his eyes and he launched at her, but Beatrix jumped between them before he could bite her. “Kol, stop it!” she snapped.

“Behave yourselves,” Elijah said as Klaus arrived. “Sibling squabbling. How familiar. Although, the teams seem to have changed... Someone care to tell me why?”

“Our brother needs us,” said Elijah. “Beatrix hasn’t been able to siphon.”

Klaus came toward Finn and bit into his own wrist before letting Finn drink from his blood. The oldest brother sighed in relief, continuing to drink until he seemed to feel better. “Thank you, brother,” he whispered.

“How are you feeling?” asked Freya.

“I feel… strangely euphoric.”

Klaus smirked. “I’ve been known to have that effect.”

Kol clapped dramatically behind them. “What a precious family moment. Pardon me while I go and gouge out my eyes with a hot poker.”

Finn looked over with a serious expression. “I thank even you, Kol. Your little witch actually came through.”

Kol frowned, obviously not having expected this. “Today,” Finn continued, “I saw a glimpse of your coveted ‘Always and Forever.’ And... I…”

Suddenly, he began to cough, and launched himself over the edge of the couch, spitting out all the blood he’d just consumed. “Finn!” yelled Klaus.

“Finn— what’s happening?” cried Elijah.

“His body’s rejecting the blood,” Beatrix said as the brothers tried to hold Finn as he thrashed on the couch. “His body— it’s dying…”

“No!” spat Klaus. “No, it's not possible! I cured him!”

“Freya—” Finn wheezed.

“Hey,” she said weakly, “it’s going to be alright, brother. We'll fix this, you'll see. Okay?” She looked up at Elijah. “Get my pendant.”

“It won’t work!” said Kol. “Davina fused his soul to his body.”

“I can siphon that curse off,” said Beatrix, coming forward and parting Finn’s shirt as she looked over where a key symbol was protruding on the skin over Finn’s heart. But he waved her off, shaking his head. “No— don’t leave me alone— don’t—”

“Let me,” Beatrix insisted. “I can undo what Davia did and Freya can get you into her pendant—”

“No,” he begged. “Don’t…”

Freya took his hand tightly. “Brother? Finn? Hey, brother, we're here. We are here. I'm here, brother.”

“Please…” Finn whimpered.

“You’re not alone,” Freya whispered, now crying. “I am here. I am here. I am here with you. Okay? I'm with you.”

Elijah, Klaus, and Kol each grabbed his other hand and caressed his head. Finn looked up at them before he began to desiccate. Freya let out a sob, and the three brothers began to cry. Beatrix swallowed back her tears as he turned completely gray.

“Beatrix, please,” said Elijah after a short while. She nodded and left the room.

She heard them burning the body not long after, and they soon left, perhaps to scatter his ashes. She felt terrible. Even though she did not care for Finn, she had been useless in any attempt at saving them. Why were the Ancestors offering so much help to Lucien? What did they gain from trusting a beast like that?

When she heard them return, she made her way over to them, not sure if her presence would be wanted. However, rather than turn her away, they waved her in to brainstorm.

“Lucien did all of this to become like his maker, and yet, my bite cannot kill an Original,” mumbled Klaus. “What are we up against here?”

“I truly don’t know,” Elijah said quietly.

There were footsteps and Hayley came into the room. “I might. Klaus and I found Lucien's R & D lab full of werewolves. He's harvesting venom, but not to find a cure. He's trying to create a more lethal strain.”

Freya growled. “Well, that must be what he added to the spell to make him whatever the hell he is now. He kept boasting about having something that would make him better than an Original.”

“Klaus is descended from one of the seven original wolf bloodlines,” said Hayley. “I am descended from another. Lucien's venom... is derived from all seven packs.”

Beatrix winced. “Giving him a bite that not even Klaus can cure…”

Freya pursed her lips. “There were two vials of serum, and he only drank one. Maybe it's because the spell will wear off eventually and he'll need another dose?”

Klaus shook his head and stood up abruptly. “Or he made enough for two….” he looked up. “Aurora.”

“Fuck,” said Beatrix as he and Elijah dashed out, presumably to see if Aurora was still entombed where they left her. Hayley sighed and sat down hard in one of the chairs. “I can do some development on a cure but I haven’t studied enough modern medicine for it to happen soon.”

“There are several things I can try,” said Freya pensively, “but I don’t know if it will work. I would need your help, Beatrix, at least with knowledge. Your magic can’t be used against him, but mine can, so we’ll have to figure something out.”

Elijah and Klaus returned just then. “It’s too bloody late,” spat Klaus angrily. “He got her out.”

“Maybe you should have killed her when you had the chance,” said Hayley under her breath.

Klaus jabbed a finger in her direction. “Do not chastise me for—”

“What’s done is done,” said Beatrix loudly. “Now we work around it and try to come up with a solid solution.”

Klaus grunted and kicked one of the chairs. “Freya, Beatrix— get to work.”

“Sure, if you’ll bring us some coffee,” said Freya with a cheeky smile as she beckoned for Beatrix to follow her to her study.

“The coffee’s on me, Freya,” said Hayley, going out the opposite way. “I’m going to need some too, after all this…”

Beatrix had tried to not make a habit of drinking alcohol. Instead, coffee was becoming her comfort beverage, though that night, she drank so much of it that she grew concerned she might need to cut down on that too.

It was excruciating. Beatrix and Freya read through all the grimoires and textbooks they could find in the Compound. Hour after hour they were just taking notes and muttering to each other about what could work. Most of it would have required Freya to either get Beatrix’s help or channel her, which was not going to prove useful. It didn’t help that every other hour, Klaus would come into the room and pace back and forth just to see what they were doing. At one point, he had come with documents for Freya to sign so that the compound would be under her name. They’d had to pause and exit so that she could invite them all back in, but they’d gotten back to work, feeling a bit more protected, though still worried. 

“You’re hovering,” Freya said in annoyance when, at one point, Klaus hadn’t left after a few minutes. It was already daylight and the two women were quite exhausted.

“I’m supervising,” said Klaus. “How else to speed up your endeavors?”

“We’re already working as fast as we can,” said Beatrix. “Maybe if you knew magic you could make yourself useful.”

He made a face. “Let's see. Perhaps I should bring Vincent here? Force him to aid you by removing his legs?”

Freya frowned. “Vincent doesn't know how to kill Lucien, either. Besides, if he leaves the St. James, who knows what the Ancestors will make him do next?”

“The Ancestors are thoroughly occupied,” announced Elijah as he entered the room, “according to Davina, terrorizing our brother.”

“What a surprise!” Klaus exclaimed. “Another day, another witch-inspired vendetta.”

“So the Ancestors corrupted Kol, too,” huffed Beatrix. “Fucking great. Well, she can take care of him for now but we could really use the both of them here, which I suppose isn’t possible. We’re working on it, but we’re not sure how it will work out.”

Klaus clapped his hands together. “Well, we all have our roles to play— Elijah can stay here and oversee whatever Freya and Beatrix are doing. I'm going to actually accomplish something.”

Elijah tried to block his way to the door. “Brother, accomplishing something—”

“The time for talking is done!” snarled Klaus as he brushed past him.

“Lovely,” said Freya sarcastically. “We should hope this sigil proves to be a solution.”

“Freya, we are out of time,” said Elijah, sounding just as impatient as Klaus.

“A sigil,” said Beatrix, “since you don’t know, is a complicated magical symbol, weaponized and condensed to its most potent form. If we combine the right elements, we'll have a chance at stopping Lucien, and if we don’t, then everything can go drastically wrong. We’re going to get it done as fast as we can, Freya’s getting the spell down—”

They stopped at the sound of panicked knocking downstairs. They all sped down, but Hayley had arrived first. “What’s wrong?” she asked a breathless Cami.

“It’s Klaus,” she said frantically. “Lucien has him…”

“Freya!” said Hayley immediately. “Invite her in!”

“Yeah, come in, you’re invited,” Freya said, enabling Cami to step forward.

“Tell us what happened,” Elijah prompted as they went to sit in the courtyard.

“Lucien ambushed him,” Cami said. “He knocked him around like it was nothing.”

Beatrix wrung her hands together worriedly. “Did he bite him?”

“No, I think he wanted him alive. I followed them. Lucien took Klaus back to the penthouse.”

Elijah’s phone buzzed at that moment, and he looked down at the screen, scowling. “Lucien is demanding my presence at the Whiskey Cask— alone and immediately. He says if I delay, Niklaus will die.”

Beatrix stood up. “You’re not going alone. Freya and I are just about to finish with the sigil. We’ll beat him there and prepare it and wait off to the side.”

“Are you certain?” said Elijah.

“Yes, it should work,” said Freya. “Beatrix, what did you have in mind?”

“We can put the sigil on the ground to bind him. We’ll stay out of sight, cloaked, and helped when needed. It might be able to work, on the chance that he actually steps into it and is bound into place.”

Elijah nodded, and Beatrix took Freya’s hand, speeding them to the study. The Mikaelson witch dropped down in front of her grimoire, making the last notes she needed on the spell while Beatrix grabbed every material they might need and shoved it into the nearest tote bag.

“Done— done,” said Freya after about a minute. Beatrix shouldered the bag and grabbed her hand once more, speeding the two as fast as possible to Whiskey Cask, hoping Lucien wasn’t there already.

The place was deserted upon arrival, and Beatrix received no inkling that he was anywhere near the premises. “We beat him,” she panted, dropping the bag. “Hurry— the sigil.”

Freya pulled out the spell and Beatrix began to hand her the materials, crafting the sigil from the grimoire onto the ground. It was a random spot and they’d need to desperately hope that at one point, Lucien would accidentally step on it, but for now, it was the only thing they had been able to figure out.

“There,” said Freya breathlessly, waving her hands over the sigil and causing it to become invisible.

“And just on time,” said Beatrix, shoving all the materials back in the bag as she heard approaching footsteps. She managed to pull Freya out of the building just as Lucien entered, thankfully not noticing that anyone had previously been in the room.

“Close call,” said Freya as they blended into the crowd of humans enjoying the NOLA Music Days festival. “There’s Elijah!”

He was approaching from the parking lot, apparently having decided to walk over more casually. When he saw them, he sped over. “Is it done?”

“Yes,” said Freya. “Go in—”

“Wait,” said Beatrix, biting her lip. “Get the Strix to be handy and wait with us.”

“Already done,” said Elijah, holding up his phone. “You will be met here by several of the members who are ancient enough to pose a good threat to Lucien, en masse. They know to find you, and will follow with whatever you say.” He started to walk to the building but Beatrix caught his arm.

“If anything happens,” the Heretic continued, “leave me behind. Lucien won’t hurt me, I know it.”

Elijah was perplexed by this request. “You ask of me something I cannot agree to,” he replied. “Why—?”

“You saw yesterday, he wanted me to pick a side. He won’t hurt me. I can try to get Klaus, I promise.”

Elijah hesitated, and Beatrix put her hands on his chest. “Please. Please. Your priority right now is getting Klaus and keeping yourself and your other siblings safe. Don’t argue with me on this.”

“Fine,” he said, hanging his head before walking into Whiskey Cask to meet Lucien.

Freya winced. “Are you sure that was a good idea? Elijah won’t want to leave you behind if things get ugly.”

“Well, he will have to,” said the Heretic. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Hold him on it, Freya, because Lucien has no hesitations on hurting you all. If he wants me as some sort of leverage or whatnot, I’ll be fine. I… I’m taking a risky bet that he won’t hurt me, and if he does, that the bite won’t kill me.”

“It killed an Original, Beatrix,” said Freya urgently. “It killed Finn like he was nothing. You could die even faster.”

“I’m willing to bet that Lucien won’t bite me. His venom is dark magic that the Ancestors didn’t want me to take in, right, so they wouldn’t let me siphon it, but I bet if it’s in my system, I can expel it by using it as fuel for some dark magic. They wouldn’t be able to hold me back from it. Any dark magic I can do just helps me from falling back into another episode. We can’t afford to be sidetracked. So I’m begging you, make sure your brother leaves me behind.”

Freya let out a shaky sigh. “Fine.” She looked around and saw several approaching people with fancier clothes, similar to Elijah. “The Strix are here.”

The two women waited as the ancient vampires came closer. Some faces were quite familiar to Beatrix from previous encounters, but most of the Strix she had met more formally were not in the group— she recalled that Marcel had pretended Gaspar Cortez had killed the Strix involved with Jackson’s murder, when really, Hayley (and Elijah) had been responsible. Beatrix didn’t miss them. Those were the same Strix that tortured her, and they deserved worse than what they got.

“We will be cloaked while we wait for the right moment,” said Freya once they stopped in front of them. “I will give the signal for when to move in, and from there, the cloaking will be undone. I’m sure you all know how dangerous this is?”

They nodded as a unit, which was sort of creepy, but Beatrix refrained from commenting on it. She knew better than to make the Strix regret functioning with her as allies instead of enemies. They, of course, had in no way forgotten that she'd slaughtered several of their own. Those kinds of things didn't just fade from memory. 

“Perfect,” said Freya. She waved her hands over the group, and Beatrix felt a tug in her side. Invisible, and giving off no sound. Clever. “Follow me.” 

Following behind Freya, they moved toward the ajar doors of the Whiskey Cask, ready to observe Lucien and Elijah’s conversation.


	50. Chapter 50

**They watched Lucien address Elijah from atop the bar’s balcony.**

“Such a treat, being in New Orleans this time of year,” said Lucien casually. “But, alas, for all today's talent, nothing quite compares with watching Ella and Louis perform live.”

“Yes, what a wonderful world that was,” said Elijah sarcastically. “Give me my brother before your world becomes significantly less wonderful.”

Lucien pursed his lips. “Mmm, I'm afraid I need something from you, first. A brother for a brother, as it were.”

“Let me guess,” Elijah replied, “your fantasy sweetheart wants her beloved Tristan back?”

“Hmm. Or your death, to relieve his suffering. So, either tell me how to find him, or I'll kill you. Where is Tristan de Martel?”

Elijah did not answer. Behind her, Beatrix sensed the Strix were tittering a bit, likely to see if he’d concede or not.

Lucien got impatient rather quickly. “Elijah, I've asked you a rather important question. Given our current circumstance, you'd be wise not to test my patience. So... Tristan's resting place...?”

Elijah acted as though he hadn’t heard him. “You carefully craft yourself into this abomination purely to become... an errand boy to that banshee?”

Beatrix smirked as Lucien chuckled. “Oh, you Mikaelsons. Your arrogance truly knows no bounds. Do I need to remind you the prophecy is on my side? Your family is doomed. So, if you'll give me Tristan's location, at least I could make your death quick.”

Elijah shrugged. “I have no idea where he is. But you know, Lucien, the thing is that I suspect you don't even really care.”

Lucien mimicked his shrug. “Mmm. I never really liked him. But, at least I can tell Aurora I tried.”

He lunged at Elijah, who dodged quickly and attempted to strike, though it was difficult to do so without putting himself in immediate danger of being bitten.

“You give me my brother,” Elijah panted as he stepped back. “I won’t ask again.”

Lucien rolled his eyes. “Please, Elijah. Know when you're beaten.” He stood up straighter, and his irises glowed red. Freya tensed, since he was standing near where they’d put the sigil. He strode toward Elijah and stepped right into the hot zone, the burning of the sigil removing its cloaking and keeping him from progressing further. He let out a roar of agony and dropped to his knees, and Freya walked into the room, the Strix and Beatrix still cloaked behind. 

“Oh,” she said with fake sympathy, “That looks like it hurts. That's what I was going for.”

“What… did you do to me?” Lucien groaned as he tried to claw his way out, to no avail.

“The sigil will bind you,” she answered simply. “Weaken you. The boiling blood, I added myself. Maybe I can't kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead.”

He grunted and tried to push against the invisible borders, but didn’ manage to do anything. He chose, instead, to stop fighting it, and got to his feet. “Whew!” he said, apparently not feeling any more pain. “Well, I admit, Freya, this is a truly valiant effort. Inspired, I assume, by your grief over Finn's demise?”

Freya sneered angrily and thrust her hand toward him, making him moan in pain, grabbing his head as he sank back to his knees. 

“Pop goes the weasel!” he growled, trying to fight it. “Oh! A rather potent aneurysm spell. You never fail to impress.”

“Oh, I have all kinds of tricks,” she snarled. “We even brought an audience to enjoy the show!”

The Strix took that to be the signal, since Beatrix stepped in, and they all flooded into the room, surrounding Lucien and sneering menacingly at him.

“Oh, come now, my darling sister,” said Elijah nonchalantly. “The Strix are the show. Well... the first act. Act two, Lucien's buried beneath 1,000 tons of cement. Act three? Spoiler alert— you're a parking lot.”

Lucien chuckled, looking around to see who had shown face. He fixated his eyes on Beatrix and winked. “Oh, even after a thousand years, you've never managed to curb your hubris, Elijah,” he said. “You still wander through a smog of your own self-importance. I can kill anything. Even them. Even you. And, since the Ancestors have made me their champion... They will not allow me to be detained.”

Freya and Beatrix shared a concerned look, but it was too late for them to intervene. Lucien suddenly stepped right out of the sigil, holding his hands out as if daring them to challenge him. 

The Strix were the first to launch forward. But they had gone into a battle they were already going to lose. Though Lucien didn’t bite them, he easily overtook them and snapped their necks easily. Beatrix took the next turn to jump in, but he simply shoved her back, which made Elijah spring forward. With ease, Lucien reached between the Strix and whirled Elijah back against the wall. Two of the Strix tried to redeem him, but Lucien grabbed their arms and seemed to break them out of their sockets. 

“Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked when the only ones who remained conscious were Beatrix, Elijah, and Freya. 

Freya thrust her hand forward. _“Delphin eoten cor,”_ she chanted. _“Delphin eoten cor. Delphin eoten cor!”_

Lucien let out a gasp of pain, the front of his shirt growing stained with blood. Freya continued to chant, flicking her fingers toward herself in an attempt to rip his heart out. _“Delphin eoten cor. Delphin eoten cor. Delphin eoten cor—”_

But suddenly, Lucien wasn’t groaning anymore, and the bleeding stopped. Beatrix looked at Elijah from behind Lucien and motioned for him to go. She sped forward and tackled Lucien to the ground. Elijah, albeit hesitantly, grabbed Freya and sped off. 

Lucien moved her off with ease and pinned her to the ground. “Well, it seems you’re just dying to join Nik at my penthouse for some torture. I’m sure Aurora will react swimmingly when she finds out the two of you are together. Oh wait… I told her already.”

He pulled her up. When she tried to punch him, he caught her hand, and Beatrix whimpered in pain as she felt both palms beginning to burn. “My dear Beatrix, it’s almost like you forgot that the Ancestors are against you, too. They won’t allow me to be detained, but they will help me detain you.”

Her wrists slapped themselves together, as though bound with an invisible rope. When she tried to tear them apart, it did nothing, and Lucien chuckled, though he looked furious. “Come, then, witch, let’s go see our unfortunate sire.”

Beatrix’s heart hammered in her chest as he took them back to the penthouse. She knew that he wasn’t going to hurt her, but if Aurora was there with Klaus, then there was no telling what she would do. He held her roughly as they went up on the elevator, though there was no way she could defeat him with her hands bound together. Even her legs seemed unwilling to do what she wanted them to. She could feel a heavy veil, like chains, had been placed on her body. Stupid Ancestors.

The elevator dinged as they arrived in the foyer. There was silence emitting from Lucien’s living quarters, and they both frowned suspiciously. Lucien knelt and picked up an empty syringe from the floor. Growling, he yanked Beatrix into the penthouse and found that there was an empty vial on the table and no one inside. 

Beatrix felt even more scared when he shoved her down onto one of the couches in front of the television. He went toward a mirror near the door and pulled out what seemed to have been a hidden camera. 

He plugged it into his computer, and the footage appeared on the television as he sat down angrily beside her, looking as though he might lash out depending on what they saw. 

Aurora and Klaus were on the screen, Klaus kneeling on the floor with his arms magically restrained on a thick branch of wood with runes carved into it. Aurora was standing over him in a taunting manner.

“I wonder,” the redhead mused, “when you decided to brick me into that dreadful tomb, did it ever occur to you that our roles might one day be reversed?”

Klaus gritted his teeth. “We both know that I buried you alive because I could not bring myself to kill you.”

Aurora chuckled. “No doubt, you intended to free me after a suitable period of time.”

“In fact,” answered the hybrid, “my methods were not unlike Tristan's— after all, did he not hide you away in a mountain monastery? The truth is, I still had hopes for us.”

Beatrix felt her chest tighten as Aurora smirked over at him on screen. “Oh... your affections for me must run deep, indeed. Tell me— if I were to kiss you now, would you feel those affections stir? Because I would feel _nothing_.”

“Are you so certain?” Klaus asked. “We are flames in the darkness of each other's worlds. We burn brighter together than we ever did alone. And I would forgive everything if you would only forgive me, my love.”

Aurora giggled like a young girl. “Wow, you really are quite desperate, aren't you? I mean, it's quite pathetic, seeing you resort to this failed seduction. I mean, it's comical, even.”

“You think me a liar?” inquired Klaus.

“Lucien has told me of that Heretic wench you are with. The plans I have for her once I finish you off… she’ll wish she never even looked at you.”

Klaus didn’t seem fazed. “You mistaken my affections for her to be genuine. I haven’t loved her since she betrayed me, and any hurt she went through wouldn’t bother me. After all, she’s young but used up by my brother. His leftovers. I would never fall for a woman like that again, not when you are another option.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “You really expect me to believe that you’d choose me over her, or over Cami? After bricking me up?”

“My love,” he said, looking up at her. “Who could compare to my first true romance? Who did I make art of, you or them? Even you can comprehend that some people are only good for entertainment in bed. You choose not to believe me, and yet, you entertain Lucien’s brazen advances?”

Aurora pursed her lips. “Well…”

“Do you think you could ever love that imbecile?” Klaus asked.

“Aw, poor, sweet Lucien,” sighed Aurora. “After all this time, he remains such a dedicated suitor. Such a shame I'll never see him as more than a means to an end.”

When Aurora turned away from Klaus, he smirked right in the direction of the hidden camera, as though he knew Lucien would be viewing this later.

Lucien shut off the television and swore loudly, slamming his computer shut. His eyes were full of tears, and Beatrix refrained from looking at him. She knew that Klaus had most likely only said what he did to try and get out of his predicament, but his words were ringing in her ears, stinging into her heart and making her let out the quietest of whimpers of shame and pain. She tried to swallow back furious tears as she listened to Lucien throwing things around the room.

He stopped after what felt like an hour and went to the computer, turning it back on to watch the rest of the footage. Beatrix tried to tune out any of Aurora and Klaus’s conversation, only paying attention when she heard Cami and Hayley— they had saved Klaus and taken Aurora with them, passed out.

“I’ve decided,” Lucien seethed at last, once he’d trashed up the penthouse some more when he found out how Klaus had been taken. “Aurora will no longer be part of this— she will not cause him any pain. Therefore, I have to.”

He looked at Beatrix and she instinctively shrank back. “Not you, silly girl,” he snapped. “It’s been established that he used you the way she used me. No… hurting you won’t hit him as hard. But hurting Camille…”

“No!” shrieked Beatrix immediately. “No— no Lucien, please, hurt me instead, not Cami, please not Cami, she’s my friend too—”

“SILENCE!” She shrank back again as he yelled. His eyes flashed red and she thought he might bite her this time, but he didn’t. “I will bite Camille, yes… and when she dies…”

“L-Lucien,” Beatrix begged. “I’ll do a-anything— please don’t hurt her, p-please, she’s innocent—”

“Innocent?” he spat. “No, darling, you have _no idea_. Don’t fret. When she’s dead, it’ll be your turn next. You’re going to be trapped in here for awhile anyway. The Ancestors won’t let you leave. Don’t even bother trying.”

“Please!” she sobbed, feeling overwhelmed. Klaus was using her… Cami was going to die… Kol needed her help… Aurora needed to be subdued properly…

Lucien growled and came over to her, gripping her by the throat. “No. Nothing you say will stop me. This should silence you.”

He snapped her neck.

**_**

She awoke on the floor, her wrists still bound together.

Panting heavily, she forced herself up, but immediately screamed as sunlight from the windows hit her body. She dropped back to the floor, looking at her hands and seeing her daylight ring was gone.

“Fuck!” she snarled, looking for shaded areas and crawling across them to end up behind the couch, shielded from the sun. She peeked around and saw the windows did have blinds, but it was going to prove excessively difficult to close them on her own, and without magic.

She forced herself to at least try. She crawled as fast as she could behind the other couches to the nearest bundle of shades. The sunlight burned her only three times, very briefly, since she dove to shaded areas intermittently. She managed to stand and begin to drag the blinds, but it was difficult with her wrists placed together, and she tripped, making her cry out in pain as her faced was blasted full of light. She jumped back behind the blind, pulling them with her accidentally and leaving her back where she started in the first place.

“I swear, Lucien,” she sneered, looking around for any hidden cameras. “I’m going to disembowel you so slowly you’ll feel every ounce of pain…”

She gave it another attempt. Trying to hold herself steady, she tugged at the blinds, slowly and steadily pulling them out. She managed to get them halfway, realizing she’d need to speed to the other side, across the sun, to get the others to shield the room completely. Biting her lip, she jumped, whimpering as her arms burned again, but managing to get behind the other blinds and pull them out and cover the windows completely.

When it was safe, she sped to the door, and tried to twist her fingers to get the handle, but it wouldn’t swing open, even when she unlocked it. She growled and slammed her body against it, but it wouldn’t budge, as though she was spelled into the room. Two kicks later, all that was there was a dent, and nothing more. She tried to move her hands the best she could to siphon, but when she tried, it sent a sharp pain down her fingertips and to her chest, which made her leap back, unsuccessful.

She screamed out in fury, as loud as she could, but her wrists did not come apart. The windows didn’t even break, meaning she couldn’t even try to jump, survive, and get back to the compound. Not that she would have been able to— her daylight ring didn’t seem to be anywhere in the vicinity, and without her magic, she couldn’t summon it to her or bring out one she’d vanished for backup. 

The phone began to ring from across the room. It was an older model with a cord, though looking more modern. She didn’t try to answer it. When it had rang five times and stopped, the next call came directly to her phone.

It was very difficult to get it out of her pocket. She couldn’t twist her arms enough to pull it out, and she had to put herself in a very awkward position against the couch’s arm to propel it to fall out of her jeans. By the time she got to it, it wasn’t ringing anymore, but she saw the call had come from an unknown number. Probably Lucien, calling to gloat.

The phone chimed after about two minutes, revealing she had a new voicemail. Angrily, she did her best to pick it up and open the message.

“Darling,” came Lucien’s voice. “Help yourself to any of the food, if you can reach it without burning. You’ll be pleased to know that Cami has only a few hours left to live. I made sure to take a nice, good bite. No one will be going to rescue you, I think… they’re all very occupied trying to get her a cure. Pity, the little witch Davina seemed to think my blood might help, but alas, it won’t. Speaking of Davina… she’s dying today, too. Your little friend Kol won’t be able to resist the Ancestors much longer. You see, they’ve tasked him with ripping her throat out. You were next on the Ancestral Hit List, you know, Kol will be out to kill you once he finishes off Davina, though… I think they might hand that task off to me, seeing as I have you trapped there. By the way… your daylight ring is rather lovely, I have it here in my pocket. I think I’m going to keep it. Depends, would you rather die of a bite from me, or burned in the sun, or getting your heart ripped out by Kol? You can choose. Whichever will hurt Nik more is the better choice. Ta-ta!”

The voicemail ended and Beatrix let out another furious scream, punching her bound hands against the couch. “Damn it— damn it!” Her eyes were stinging with fresh tears. She felt helpless and useless. She wasn’t going to be able to help Cami or Davina or Kol, and at this rate, she didn’t care what would hurt Klaus more— there would be no way to protect him from Lucien because he’d lash out either way.

She didn’t know what to believe or what to feel. All that came to mind was despair. 

Lucien didn’t return until well after nightfall, looking very pleased with himself. “Camille is dead,” he announced as he walked through the doors.

Beatrix was all cried out by then, and all she did was stare at the wall. She’d been seated on the floor, glaring at the empty space where he hadn’t hung some sort of portrait. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked pale. She hadn’t eaten anything, even though there were many things she could have consumed, including blood. She didn’t feel like it.

“Come now, love, surely you should be celebrating!” he taunted. “Less competition when it comes to Nik…”

She glared at him. “You’re going to die miserable because you didn’t have the decency to be civil.”

“I lost a century to compulsion, love, I don’t think that’s something anyone could forget. NIklaus Mikaelson will never admit it, but I am his better, and he will see it, one day. Now, have you decided how you want to die?”

She sniffled and just let her head lean back against the couch. “Just fucking tear my heart out, Lucien, I don’t want to feel anything. You want to hurt Klaus but he won’t be affected by my death. You fucking heard him. I’ve been tormented enough today, make it quick, that’s all I ask. I won’t even fight it.”

He came to crouch down in front of her, taking her chin and forcing her to look at him. “Do you not understand?” he said. “Your pain, your destruction, it’s all rooted in the Mikaelsons. They’ve forsaken anyone who doesn’t bear the same surname, love. All Nik has ever done is use you. I know about you two. He never cared for you. You were his distraction, and he was adamant about your betrayal because to him, it was wrong for his sister to want love. What kind of heartless beast does that? He never tried to understand your breakup, did he, he just cast you aside, never worrying about what was best for you. He used you for your magic and your company. You still have another option. Work with me. Aid the Ancestors in destroying them. What reason have you to be loyal to the Mikaelsons? They will never treat you like one of them.”

She stared blankly at him. “Just fucking kill me,” she managed weakly. “Hurry up.”

He seemed to have another idea. “Hmm… perhaps… I won’t.”

“What are you waiting for?” she demanded. “Tear my heart out, burn me, bite me, I don’t care anymore, Lucien! Get it over with!”

“I was wondering,” he said with a wicked smile, “how much of a problem would be created if you went back to Nik… unscathed.”

He stood and began to walk around, mulling it over. “Yes… having to be confronted about what he said… about what he’s done… he’ll even get mad because you weren’t there to help save Cami…”

Beatrix began to sob again. “S-Stop— no, I d-don’t want—”

“It’s not about what you want,” he said. “It’s about what I want. Clearly, they’ve left you so hurt that you’re begging for release. Let’s… stir the pot a bit more.”

He pulled her up and held her by the throat once more, his eyes turning red. His fangs came out and he leaned onto her shoulder, letting them graze over her skin, but not sinking them in. “Pity, really, I think your blood would have tasted marvelous,” he said as he dropped her. He extracted her daylight right and put it back on her finger. “There. Run along. Back to the Compound.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I may not be able to compel you, but if I find out you didn’t return, the next person I bite will be Marcel.”

Her wrists were unbound, and she was pushed back. She wasn’t about to wait for him to change his mind, so she sped out.

When she arrived at the Compound, she found everyone gathered in the courtyard. She staggered in, and they immediately turned to her.

“Beatrix,” said Elijah, getting up.

She burst into tears before anyone could reach her.


	51. Chapter 51

**Marcel was the first to get to her side.**

“Beatrix,” he said urgently. “Are you alright—?”

“No!” she managed, shaking her head and looking around. “No— Cami— Davina—” She grabbed Marcel’s shoulders and shook him. “We have to get Davina! Kol is going to be forced to kill her!”

Marcel frowned. “No— Kol left, so that he wouldn’t have to listen to the Ancestors— he’s gone.”

“He isn’t!” Beatrix cried, staring at him intently and refusing to look at anyone else. “We have to go before he kills her— he won’t realize what he’s doing!”

She could see Klaus had joined the group and was making his way towards her, but she held her hand up to stop him. “Stay away from me!” she said shakily. “Marcel—”

“We’re going to go check on Davina, then,” said Marcel, taking Beatrix’s hand and speeding her away.

But they were already too late. 

The St. James Infirmary was quiet aside from the sounds of small sobs. There was Kol, on the floor, covered in blood, cradling the lifeless body of Davina Claire. He had tears running all down his face and his eyes were puffy.

“What are you doing here?” said Marcel in a deadly voice to Kol.

Kol whimpered and let go of Davina as Marcel moved forward to examine her. Her throat had been torn out, and she was rigid and pale. “The A-Ancestors had a h-hold of me,” sobbed Kol, shaking his head. “I-I was out of my head. I never w-would’ve hurt her— I tried to m-make it stop. I m-made her dagger me— N-Nothing worked!”

Marcel wasn’t having it. He sped to Kol and shoved him back across the room. The Original didn’t try to fight. He let himself lay on the ground, shaking his head in disbelief. “I l-loved her,” he panted. “I s-swear, I did…”

“Get up,” Marcel snapped. “Get up! This is New Orleans. Witch spirits can be brought back from the dead, so that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to bring her back!”

He turned to Beatrix, who moved forward and picked her up, setting her on one of the tables. “Call Vincent,” she said, looking down at the girl’s face and forcing herself to stay calm. “H-He needs— he needs to b-be here—”

Marcel stepped out to call him, and Kol forced himself to stand, though he couldn’t look at her body. “T-Trix,” he stammered. “Y-You have to b-believe me… I-I wasn’t in c-control.”

“I know,” she said softly, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I know… I know…”

“W-Where were you?” he asked quietly. “W-What happened?”

“Lucien,” she muttered. “He told me what the Ancestors were planning. He killed Cami. They made you kill Davina. I’m the next target. Soon… they’re going to come after me.”

“No,” breathed Kol, stepping away. “No— no— I won’t let that h-happen!”

“Kol, you won’t have a choice in the matter. Let’s focus on Davina right now, alright?”

He nodded weakly, and sat down hard in the chair beside the table. “This is all my fault… I never should have put her in such danger… I s-should have told you all the t-truth… you m-might’ve been able to put me to sleep to stop the s-spell…”

“That wouldn’t have worked,” she sighed. “The magic of all the Ancestors would have overtook mine easily. It was different when I got put to sleep to ease my madness. You weren’t there for it, but it was the only thing that helped. It was a different situation.”

“I failed her, Trix. I w-wanted to protect her and all I did was hurt her… I killed her… I fucking killed her…”

“Kol,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “We’re going to bring her back. We will. I will do everything in my power to retrieve her.”

Just then, Marcel arrived with Vincent, who looked distraught at the news. “Okay, we got to get her consecrated right now,” he said, coming to examine the body. “If we don't we can't even attempt to get her back.”

“We can’t consecrate her!” Kol cried.

“What the hell are you talking about?” demanded Marcel.

“The Ancestors despise Davina. If we consecrate her, she'll wake up in their domain, and they will destroy her.”

Marcel growled. “If we don't, we never see her again!”

Beatrix put her hands up. “Enough. Vincent was Regent, he will give instructions, alright?”

“Yes, thank you,” he said. “We all want to help her, so we need to make sure that she's consecrated, but she's got to be safe so we're gonna pull her into a place where she's protected, then we can resurrect her. And that's gonna require a lot of energy, and my power's not what it used to be before I got shunned.”

“Alright, we need Freya,” said Marcel.

Kol scoffed. “You think my family's going to help? Nik hates Davina. Freya will not defy him.”

Marcel jabbed his finger in his face. “This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for your family!” He turned to Vincent. “Prepare her body.” He faced Kol and Beatrix. “Come with me.”

Beatrix hesitated. “I-I think it’s better I stay here to help consecrate.”

“Why don’t you want to go to the Compound?” said Kol immediately.

She bit her lip. “Look, we can talk about it later. Either way, my magic is not up to par for what we need so I’ll keep Vincent company.”

“Works with us,” said Marcel, beckoning for Kol to follow him.

Vincent cast her a look as she started moving around, pulling materials out of thin air that she’d vanished in the past. “I know that look. You’re afraid of some confrontation.”

“Klaus,” she said lowly. “A conversation needs to be had and I’m not sure either of us can emotionally handle it at the moment.”

Vincent raised his brows and took the materials she was handing to him. “Well, if you need to talk, we’ll be here awhile. Freya needs to prepare her spell before we can start the consecration.”

She sighed and sat down, facing away from him. “I don’t want to be a burden. I know you don’t like vampire business and I don’t want to force you to listen to me yammering on about it.”

He chuckled. “You and I are witch kin, first and foremost. New Orleans born and raised. Just know the offer stands.”

“Thanks, Vincent,” she said quietly.

She occupied herself with braiding her hair off to the side as Vincent spoke to Davina. Beatrix made a point not to listen in. She was lost in her own thoughts.

Klaus would be feeling reckless after Cami’s death. And for her to have to speak with him about what may or may not have been true in his conversation with Aurora… she expected it would go quite badly. He’d never told her much about Aurora, but Elijah had, and after the revelation that Elijah had been the reason that Aurora broke Klaus’s heart, Beatrix expected it had been even harder for the feelings to fade away.

Vincent was right. She was afraid of the confrontation. Afraid that she’d learn that Klaus didn’t really care for her, and only wanted to distract himself from his lingering thoughts about Aurora. Afraid that he did care, but that she wouldn’t be able to forget his words. Afraid that he’d lash out defensively, or chastise her for doubting him. She didn’t know what to think, and Lucien and Finn had been right— being around the Mikaelsons made her always expect violence and retaliation. Deep down, she did fear that Klaus would hurt her.

Her phone chimed after awhile, and she let out a shaky sigh. “Marcel says they’re ready for us to begin the consecration. Freya’s made a protective circle for her.”

“Good,” said Vincent as she walked over to him. “Now, I think I don’t need to ask, but just to make sure— you know how the consecration process works?”

“Yes, several different variations, so I’ll just assist so we can do it your way.”

“Works fine with me. Here, start burning this sage.”

Vincent was a comforting presence for Beatrix. Though he clearly had a lot of distaste for vampires, he did not glare at her or make her feel like she was a beast. He addressed her with respect, as his elder, and didn’t press her to discuss what was ailing her. He instructed her without being harsh, and she greatly appreciated it. For awhile, she was able to forget Klaus, and simply focus on Davina, who looked peaceful in death. 

“All’s done here,” said Vincent after they finished “I need to go and speak to the current Regent. See if we can sway him.”

Beatrix offered him a small smile. “Sure. I’ll just be right here.”

At first, she had just cleaned up everything and remained silent. But when all that remained was Davina’s body, she’d grown sad, and had come to sit beside her.

“I know you can’t hear me,” Beatrix mumbled. “Your spirit is at the Compound, likely having a conversation with Marcel and Kol. But from the bottom of my heart…” she stroked her hair gently, “I am so sorry that this happened to you. I am sorry the Ancestors saw you as a threat when all you were trying to do was belong and unite the Covens. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more to protect you, sweet girl.”

She sighed and let her head rest down on her own arm. “I won’t tell you to forgive Kol or to forgive anyone else who did you harm. But this world is unpredictable and cruel. I know in my heart he didn’t mean to hurt you this way. He regrets it. Kol’s never been good at apologies but I know him well, and I know that he genuinely loves you. It was out of his control and when we bring you back, he will never again cause you harm. I swear it. You two are a good pair.”

Suddenly, Marcel was in front of them, and Beatrix flinched, standing up. “What’s wrong?” she said immediately.

“Elijah and Freya stopped protecting her,” he said angrily as he picked Davina’s body up and offered Beatrix his arm. “We have to hurry. Now.”

She didn’t hesitate to grab hold. They were back at the Compound within minutes, and Marcel laid her body down gently in the circle that had been made to keep her safe. Vincent was there with Van Nguyen, who looked unwilling to help, but threatened, considering Kol was holding a knife near his throat.

“Beatrix, come, we have to help,” said Vincent, offering her his hand. “As much power as we can channel. He has his Regent power and we’re backing him up.”

Van held his hands up and began to chant. _“Respire la vie corpore. Respire la vie corpore…”_

Vincent and Beatrix joined him. _“Respire la vie corpore. Respire la vie corpore. Respire la vie corpore. Respire la vie corpore—”_

Van let out a harsh breath and staggered back suddenly. Kol dropped down beside Davina, whose hair was being caressed by Marcel. “What happened?” Marcel demanded when her eyes didn’t open.

“Nothing,” said Van, eyes widening in fear when Kol got up. “It’s like she wasn’t there at all. The Ancestors got to her first.”

“Where the bloody hell is she?” Kol snarled. 

“That’s it, man,” said Van. “She’s gone.”

Marcel shook his head, and Beatrix watched as he leaned down, pressing his forehead against Davina’s as he began to cry. 

Kol wasn’t having it. He shoved Van roughly against the wall. “DO IT AGAIN!” he bellowed.

“I can’t!” Van cried. “If I had a chance at it, it's gone now.”

“Then you just became disposable,” Kol sneered.

“Woah, Kol, let him go,” Vincent said sharply. “Davina would’ve wanted it that way.”

Kol let out a sneer and aggressively grabbed the nearest object and threw it against the wall. Marcel growled and stood up, glaring at him. “I should’ve known better than to trust your family,” he spat, pointing at Kol. “You people destroy everything you touch! EVERYTHING!”

“Marcel,” said Beatrix sternly, grabbing his hand and putting it down. “Come on. Let’s take a walk.”

“I’ll handle her body,” offered Vincent quietly as Kol kicked a nearby plant and stormed out.

Marcel just shook his head weakly, beginning to cry all over again as Beatrix led him up to the library. “Come on, let’s drink something,” she said, waving her hand and causing some of the bourbon bottles to fly over to them. 

“They just let her be erased,” Marcel said lowly as he sank down against the nearby table, taking one of the bottles and opening it harshly before beginning to drink. “No… this isn’t comforting enough. I need whiskey.”

Beatrix waved her hand again, and a bottle of whiskey flew his way. She took the bottle he’d drank from and cleaned the top with her sleeve before taking a swig of it herself. “Did they say what it was for?” she asked quietly. “I didn’t get many details…”

“To defeat Lucien,” Marcel answered more hoarsely. “To…” He trailed off to take another sip. “This… this is stupid…”

“They destroyed her just to defeat Lucien?” said Beatrix incredulously. “But— but didn’t they think that maybe, just maybe, if Davina was back, she and I could have helped Freya and Vincent? All four of us— all that magic— the Ancestors wouldn’t have stood a chance. We just needed more time…” She then paused. “Does that mean Lucien is dead?”

“He better be,” Marcel growled. “If they destroyed her and he isn’t dead…”

“Breathe,” Beatrix said, though her own anger was rising immensely. She never would have thought Elijah would do such a thing. Freya, perhaps, after all, she was the oldest sister and she would have done anything to protect her siblings. Beatrix didn’t want to be mad at her. But Elijah… he had known Davina and what she suffered, and even then, he had allowed her to be destroyed? 

They didn’t pace themselves when it came to the drinks. Marcel downed two entire bottles of whiskey and Beatrix had allowed herself to finish one and a half bottles of bourbon. She hadn’t drank in so long that she felt quite dizzy, but the blurriness in her entire mind was what she needed to force herself to not feel pain. She felt so angry. Nothing made sense anymore, and she hated it. She wanted to punch Klaus and Elijah. No— she wanted to twist her hand and tear them apart from the inside.

There were footsteps when nightfall hit. Neither Beatrix nor Marcel were looking at the door, but they knew who it was. Marcel finished his third bottle and then smashed it into the wall before turning to face the two brothers.

“I did everything you asked,” he said, eyes burning with hatred. “I joined your stupid cult… I left my friends in the dust because that’s what you needed!”

“Marcel—” Klaus began.

“I fought for Hope!” Marcel yelled. “I kept Hayley breathing— I kept white oak from piercing your cold, black heart. I did everything!”

“We know,” Elijah replied as gently as he could.

“No you don’t,” Marcel growled. “No you don’t!”

“Marcel, he had no choice!” Klaus insisted.

“Oh, they were right about you,” Marcel challenged, stepping over to them. “Aurora, Tristan, Lucien. Anybody who’s not your family, is nothing to you. Nothing.”

Elijah frowned. “Marcellus, you are family.”

“No I’m not. Not anymore. Never again— I am not your family!”

“Marcel—”

“NO!” Marcel snarled, kicking a chair out of the way. “Beatrix is my family. Davina was my family. And all you’ve done is shove us aside.”

He stormed out, and Beatrix turned back away from the brothers, taking another swig of bourbon. “You know,” she said coldly, “I would never be cruel or stupid enough to have helped Lucien. But Marcel’s not wrong. Lucien and Finn were right to tell me to leave. All you lot do is hurt everyone else. You don’t think of the consequences.”

Klaus came forward. “Beatrix—”

“Don’t you dare touch me!” she snarled, sensing his hand about to come in contact with her shoulder. “I saw the footage, Klaus. ‘She’s young but used up by my brother. His leftovers.’” She turned to face him. “That’s what you said, isn’t it? ‘I would never fall for a woman like that again, not when you are another option.’ How about— ‘Even you can comprehend that some people are only good for entertainment in bed.’ Is that all this was, Klaus? You sleeping with me because you had nothing better to do but to take advantage of Elijah’s leftovers? You, knowing how hurt I was because I lost someone, how hurt I was because I was losing my fucking mind, just slept with me for shits and giggles?”

Klaus’s eyes were wide. “Love, I—”

“I don’t want to hear excuses,” she interrupted. “From either of you. You— you didn’t even think of how often Davina’s helped you even when she hated you. Lucien was a threat, yes, but you chose to sacrifice a young girl to kill him when we could have found another way!”

Elijah stepped forward and caught her arm as she moved to hit Klaus in the chest. “It had to be done,” he said quietly. “There was no other way.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Elijah!” she said, tearing her hand from his hold. “You— none of you know about magic! None of you ever tuned into the witch inside of you! Kol was the only one besides Freya! You— you couldn’t have waited— you couldn’t have taken the time— do you not realize what’s happened? Freya, Davina, Vincent, and I could have gotten Van to help us and we could have destroyed Lucien another way. Kol could have helped us because he knows more magic than everyone combined! Instead, now, Kol won’t give a damn about you. Vincent won’t ever help you again. Marcel won’t be at your beck and call—”

“And you?” said Klaus quietly.

She threw her hands in the air. “I’m done! I can’t just be here and suffer the consequences. Time after time I’ve stood by you but in the end it always amounted to you using me, either as your little sex toy or as your witch. I’m fucking done.” She pointed at Klaus. “I’ve protected your daughter and helped to raise her after you trapped her mother as a bloody wolf. Even when I should have been focusing on myself, I was here, because I thought you all gave a shit. But you don’t. I will never be a Mikaelson. Never. And because of that, I will always be put aside to be sacrificed to keep you all safe. I… I was so blind I didn’t see that all I’ve ever been is potential collateral damage. The personal witch who would do anything for her sire.”

She jabbed her finger into his chest, glaring up at him. “But you know what, we’re not connected anymore. I will make myself stop loving you because you’re not worth it. You’re never going to treat me with the respect I deserve.”

“You knew I was a monster long before you set your sights on me,” snapped Klaus. “Don’t forget that. You can believe I used you all you want, but don’t pretend to be oblivious to what I am. You knew what you were signing up for!”

She scoffed. “How can you say that?” she demanded. “How— how can you stand here, in front of me, and say it’s my fault for falling for you?”

“He didn’t mean that,” said Elijah quickly. “The one you’re angry at is me, and you have every right to be, and no amount of apologies will make up for what I did—”

“No, I meant it, Elijah,” Klaus snapped, shoving Beatrix back. “Come on then, witch, since you obviously hate me so much! What else have you got to say? Will you go on to list all the times I was cruel to you? You are not some silly girl, Beatrix, you knew and have always known what you were signing up for and you stayed.”

“I shouldn’t have!” she spat, furious tears now flooding down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have! Call me silly, call me stupid— I don’t fucking care, I’ll admit it! Yes, I was stupid to think that you would treat me with even an ounce of respect! I was an idiot to think you’d ever see me as more than your personal witch! It was silly of me to expect the big bad _bastard_ Klaus to genuinely see me for me and care enough to love me back!”

His eyes flashed yellow, as though he was considering biting her, and she shoved him back. “Bite me, then!” she demanded. “Kill me! Take away my fucking pain— free me from your fucking family!”

He lunged at her, but Elijah held him back. “No, let him!” she screamed, coming closer. “I’d much rather be dead and with Kai. Yeah— I bet you fucking forgot that I’m still mourning him! He was an asshole and he was just as sick as you, but even he treated me with respect and even he changed so that he would be a better man for me! He wasn’t good, and neither are you, but he made the effort— he didn’t make me his second choice. He loved me, and he’s gone, and who am I stuck with? A selfish prick of a vampire who can’t even admit to Hayley that he loves her even though he made such a problem between picking her or me, and a violent prat of a hybrid who only used me to—”

Klaus swore loudly and Beatrix’s voice was drowned out. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon she’d been drinking and threw it against the wall, the glass shattering everywhere. The Heretic simply stared at both brothers and scoffed. 

“I’m leaving,” she said shakily. “I’ll be back tomorrow to fetch my things.”

She sped out, and neither brother tried to follow her.

_Comments? Concerns? Definitely want to know who you all ship Beatrix with after all this ;)_


	52. Chapter 52

**Beatrix found Kol in St. Anne’s Church.**

“I had a feeling you’d be here,” she mumbled, finding him seated on Davina’s bed. 

He half-smiled. “Yeah…” he wiped some blood of his lip. “I thought I’d find solace here. I killed Van Nguyen.”

“As you should,” said Beatrix, coming to sit beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to go out of state for Medical School and just never come back.”

“I’ll go with you,” he muttered. “In between, we can travel and research how to bring Davina back.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m good with that…”

“I er— came back to the Compound briefly, just after killing Van. Heard a bit of your argument with my brothers. I… I know I didn’t meet Kai but he sounded like a good man. I don’t think I ever told you how sorry I am that you lost him.”

She sighed and patted his back. “It’s alright, Kol. I’ll recover fully, eventually.”

“How could you ever recover?” he mumbled. “When… when the person is everything you wanted?”

She bit her lip. “Well, my experiences with Kai are not the same as yours with Davina. Deep down, he wasn’t the bed person and he knew that, and together, we were volatile and cruel and I didn’t think to stop him. Davina was an angel and it’s going to hurt so, so much to think that she’s not here anymore. But we’ll find a way, I know that we will.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “Once again, you’re the only one who even notices me. The only one who tries to help me through what I feel. I can’t believe Elijah would blatantly disregard her life that way. Or that Nik would be so supportive of it, either.”

Neither of them was able to sleep. Instead, they talked. Kol went on a rant about the Ancestors and his siblings and methods to bring Davina back. Beatrix ranted about Elijah and Klaus and her plans for the future, which did not include either brother. By daylight, they were exhausted but did not feel as though a peaceful sleep would greet them. So they put on some clothes Beatrix had vanished years ago, and went to the Lafayette Cemetery, where Vincent had already buried Davina, marking her name on a tomb.

The memorial felt terrible. For one, besides her and Kol, the only ones in attendance were Marcel, Josh, and Vincent. Cami’s wake was the same day and basically all of New Orleans was participating in that, since it was to be an entire party at Rousseau’s.

Vincent had begun speaking first. “Say not in grief that she is no more, but be thankful that she ever was and though she was taken far too soon, may her enduring light show us a way through this darkness. Let us mourn as we cannot move on until we do. And though the pain may at times seem like more than we can bare, make no mistake, we will move on. And even now, the words of Ecclesiasticus are ringing in my ears, they're saying vengeance as a lion shall lie in wait for them.”

Josh stepped forward next. “A while ago… forever ago, I told Davina a story about my first boyfriend but what I didn't tell her was that I had never shared that story with anyone else. She was like a sister and a best friend and I loved her. I wish th... uh…” he shook his head, unable to continue, and stepped back. 

Kol had clearly wanted to step forward, but he couldn't manage it. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Beatrix patted his back and took his place instead. “How can any phrase quantify the impact that one person made? When I arrived here and met Davina I was happily surprised. I saw a strong young woman who was resilient and who was powerful in so many ways. She was determined and kind, and it’s unfair that we have to stand here without her.”

Marcel took out a piece of paper when she returned between Kol and Josh, but immediately crumpled it up and shoved it back in his pocket. “Words aren't any good, the Mikaelsons need to answer for this. I'm gonna make them answer.”

He stepped forward and put his hand on Davina’s tombstone. “I promise.”

Josh and Vincent shared a concerned look. Kol hung his head and walked off. Beatrix moved toward Marcel and patted his back. “How about we just pop in to pay our respects to Cami and go to something else, hmm?”

He nodded numbly and she led him out onto the sidewalk so they could walk to Rousseau’s. 

“I know you’re feeling angry,” said Beatrix quietly. “And I am too. But you need to be careful what you say. They’re really mad right now, acting as though our grief is a threat to them. Don’t stir the pot.”

He just huffed and remained silent until they got to Rousseau’s. Cami’s coffin was laid in the center where everyone nearby was chatting and eating. There were purple and white flowers all over it, and the two walked up, putting their hands on the lid.

“I’m so sorry,” Marcel whispered. “I would like to be here to honor you but I can’t bring myself to stay when they’re here. I’ll always care for you, Cami.”

Beatrix let her palm slide over some of the flowers. “I wish there was something I could have done,” she mumbled. “I wish I could have saved you. You didn’t deserve to die. I hope you find peace, you beautiful soul.”

Marcel cleared his throat and pulled Beatrix back. Klaus was approaching them from the other side of the room, and both quickly exited, not wanting to be confronted. 

They went to Marcel’s loft instead, having in mind to drink some more. Josh had invited himself in and was already helping himself to some tequila.

“It’s funny, you know,” he said, trying to lighten the mood when Marcel and Beatrix flopped down angrily onto the nearby couch. “I missed out on the whole binge drinking thing in college, but, ah, guess I'm making up for it with the drowning my sorrows thing, so, cheers.”

“You should slow down,” said Marcel, looking at the bottle and seeing how much he’d drank already.

“Maybe you should slow down,” Josh replied. “How about that little declaration of war you made this morning? Yeah, you might want to pump the brakes on that plan because, the Mikaelsons? They aren't exactly known for letting bygones be bygones.”

“Maybe I don’t care,” Marcel said. “Maybe it's the Mikaelsons who need to worry about me.”

He pulled a small vial out from his pocket and slapped it on the table next to him. Josh and Beatrix were silent as they stared at it.

“Wait a minute,” said the Heretic slowly. “Is that—”

“Lucien’s serum,” Marcel confirmed.

Josh let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, cool. So you're gonna die soon too, well, that's good to know, I'll make sure I get this suit cleaned stat.”

Marcel held up the vial. “This'll make sure I can't die.”

“Marcel, if you take that, you will be the last thing on earth that can kill a Mikaelson,” said Josh, frowning like he was disappointed. “That's like open declaration of war. I mean, how'd that work out for that Lucien guy, huh? And you know what? Best case scenario, what are you going to do? Hmm? You gonna kill all of them? Klaus, Elijah, Freya, Kol? Yeah, he's mad at them now, but when push comes to shove, even Hayley chooses them over you. So are you really going to take down everyone? And do you think that's what Davina would have wanted?”

Marcel didn’t answer. Josh shook his head and walked out with the rest of the tequila bottle. Beatrix rubbed her forehead. “I mean, he’s not wrong. It’s a dangerous thing to try and make a statement. I understand, more than anything, how angry you feel, Marcel. I know it.”

“Then why would you object to me drinking this?” he demanded.

“Because it puts a target on your back and I don’t want to lose you,” she said more sternly. “If they find out you have that, you’re going to be murdered. I don’t think I can handle losing you.”

“They killed Davina!” he snapped. “I lost the girl who was like a daughter to me. The girl who was my family.”

“And you’re like a son to me, and I won’t let you be a fool and put yourself in the same type of danger!” she hissed. 

He growled and grabbed a nearby glass, throwing it at the wall. “You’ve hit your quota for throwing things around, Marcel,” Beatrix muttered, waving her hand and causing the glass to repair itself and fly into her hand so she could serve herself some bourbon. 

“Do you not feel the same anger that I do?” he snapped. 

“How couldn’t I? Davina was my friend too and Lucien taunted me about her and Cami’s deaths and I wasn’t able to do anything to save them. I may not feel that same loss that you do but I am fucking furious, don’t think I’m not. Elijah’s really pissing me off after everything and Klaus is— Klaus is _Klaus_. That’s infuriating enough.”

“Help me,” he said, grabbing her shoulders. “Help me take them down. Don’t go against me, Beatrix, please.”

“Marcel, I can’t let you get yourself killed. Get rid of that serum and don’t ever look at it again. We will find a way to bring Davina back. Let’s not start a greater problem than what’s already stirring.”

They sat in silence for an hour after that. Marcel refused to look at her, but didn’t send her out. They drank at separate corners of the room. Beatrix wouldn’t let herself cry, as much as she needed to. She didn’t want to let herself feel. She didn’t want the tears to fuel her ire and lead her to agree to his risky plan. She didn’t want the sobs to overwhelm her and tempt her into turning it all off again.

“Missed you at Davina’s memorial,” said Marcel at one point. She heard the footsteps and watched as Klaus walked through the doorway.

“I thought my presence there would be inappropriate,” said the hybrid quietly.

“Because you and your family threw her to the wolves?” Marcel said. “Yeah. You probably made the right call.”

Klaus pursed his lips. “I know how much you cared for her. This must be difficult for you.”

Marcel scoffed. “That's funny. 'Cause that doesn't sound like an apology, does it, Beatrix?”

She shook her head. Klaus didn’t seem to want to acknowledge that she was there. “Marcel…”

“We had the chance to save her,” Marcel snapped. “To bring her back. But no. The Mikaelsons decided that couldn't happen. Not if it was inconvenient for them. It seems you're always willing to watch the world burn, long as you survive.”

“Lucien had to die,” Klaus pressed. “He would have destroyed us all.”

“Yeah, thanks to his vendetta against you.”

“His motive is not the issue. He was a threat. We responded in kind. Had Freya the power to kill Lucien, and save Davina, she would have.”

Marcel stood, clutching his glass of alcohol in his hand. “Am I supposed to just nod and accept that? We share a bourbon, and I just—” He threw the glass at the wall once more, and it broke, “shrug it off. Davina had to die… what a shame, but there was no other choice…”

“There wasn’t,” Klaus whispered.

Marcel walked toward him. “What am I to you, Klaus? Am I your friend? Your sidekick? I mean, at first, I was a charity case. We all know that. How about now? Am I your ally? 'Cause you sure as hell don't treat me like one.”

“You and I are bonded by blood,” said Klaus pointedly. “And yes, we quarrel, but that is what family does.”

“Oh, okay, so I'm family…. No. I don't see it. Once upon a time, you were my mentor, my savior. My sire. But you've never been my brother. And now... now you're nothing to me.”

“Marcellus, just give me one last chance to prove you wrong,” Klaus said. “Come with me.”

He walked out, and Marcel and Beatrix shared a concerned look. Marcel went to get his jacket, and slipped the serum in his pocket. Beatrix made to stop him, but he held up his hand and followed Klaus out the door.

She sighed loudly when she heard them exit the building. Waving her hand once more, she repaired the glass and finished the rest of her bourbon before going toward the Compound. If Klaus wouldn’t be there, she could go and pack.

It was silent upon arrival, and she was thankful. She only stopped in to Hope’s room to check on her, caressing her head gently as she made to leave. However, Hayley had heard her.

“Hey,” she said quietly.

“Hi,” Beatrix told her, pursing her lips.

“You’re leaving, then?” 

“Yes, I am. I came to pack.”

Hayley looked sad. “Well, don’t be a stranger. If you ever want to see Hope, just tell me, and I’ll take her. I don’t tell any of them if you don’t want me to. I think she should get to grow up knowing you no matter what.”

Beatrix smiled, and her lip trembled. “Thanks, Hayley. I’ll be around… don’t know yet where I’d like to go to Med School or where I want to work, but I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“No matter how far, we’ll do our best to visit. Hope would do well with a good influence like that. Her aunt, Dr. La Salle.”

At this, Beatrix tried to force back the tears, but she couldn’t, and started to cry. Hayley immediately moved forward and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “If I had known they were going to do that to Davina, I would have stopped them. It was completely unfair and you and Marcel honestly have every right to be furious. I will try to talk to them, to see what we can do.”

“T-Thank you,” Beatrix hiccuped. She dried her eyes quickly and pulled away. “I should… I s-should get to packing.”

“Do you need any help?” Hayley offered.

“No, I’ll be alright,” she whispered before going to her room.

She hadn’t wanted to fall apart right there. Instead, she cast a silencing spell over her room and allowed herself to cry alone as she packed. She brought out box after box, taking her time to fold everything by hand and tuck everything away neatly. She didn’t feel like using magic. Little by little she got all her clothes put away. She used smaller boxes for her makeup and accessories, not that she had many to begin with. The canvases that adorned the walls were vanished, to be preserved nicer. The only one she left behind on the bed once she’d removed the sheets was the one Klaus had made her. It felt wrong to take it with her, as a reminder of what they used to be. He didn’t want her anymore, and she didn’t feel she should take it with her.

When she had finished, her room lay barren. The closet was looking brand new, and the mattress was showing its natural face for the first time since it was purchased. She’d cleaned the bathroom and her vanity, which she’d vanished with more delicate things inside to avoid any sort of damage. She didn’t know where she would end up going, but at least, she had her things with her, and that was all that mattered.

She had left her boxes inside for a while, not yet sure if she wanted to carry them out or vanish them to be moved more easily. She had gone back to Hope’s room and found her awake, and had remained on the floor with her for awhile, speaking to her gently and making her laugh, just to hear that sweet sound for some comfort.

Hayley had come in later, and the two had not spoken of Beatrix’s feelings, but instead, had discussed Hope’s future, to speak of something instead of remaining in silence. Beatrix predicted that Hope would grow to become a very talented witch and would eventually want to work with remedies at hospitals in areas of poverty. Hayley thought Hope would want to be most in tune with her werewolf side if she ever triggered her curse, and would become a lawyer in order to bring rights to those who had been oppressed in the past.

It felt nice to just set worries aside and think of what Hope would grow to be. Beatrix saw such potential in her little niece, and her heart swelled seeing how adorable she was. She wished she could always be this young, innocent, and safe. But she’d have to grow up, of course, and would one day have to make decisions that might not be the best. Beatrix knew Hope would have a good influence in Hayley, but might inherently be more fiery, like Klaus.

“You’ll always have a home wherever Hope and I are,” said Hayley when they’d gone to her room so that Hayley could give her something. She’d opened the drawer of her nightstand and handed Beatrix a small necklace. “This was mine when I was younger, and Hope’s worn it a few times. You can keep it, so you’ll always have something of ours to be able to find us.”

“Thank you for everything, Hayley,” said Beatrix with a gentle smile. “It really helped to have a sort of calm afternoon with the two of you.”

But before she could leave, she heard footsteps, and the two women turned to see Elijah entering the room, panting and looking as though he might break down crying at any moment.

“Elijah,” said Hayley as he dropped to his knees, gasping and holding his chest.

“Forgive me,” he said, looking up at the two, though his gaze fixated on Beatrix. “Forgive me…”

“What happened?” she said shakily. 

“Tell us, please,” Hayley said more calmly, coming closer to him.

“It’s Marcel,” Elijah gasped. “I… I took his life.”

Hayley immediately moved forward to hug him, but Beatrix stepped back, staring at him in disbelief.

“What the hell does that mean?” she demanded, hands trembling. “What— what do you mean you— you took his life?”

“I-I—” he shook his head. “I took—” 

“Elijah, tell me!” Beatrix snapped. “Tell me! What did you do to him?!”

Hayley bit her lip. “Maybe you should look at his memories—”

“No, I want him to say it,” the Heretic demanded, crying already without realizing it. “I want to hear him say what he did. I want to know— from his mouth— what the bloody hell he did to Marcel…”

Elijah struggled to speak. “I… I took… I took his heart…”

“Why?” Beatrix cried, clawing at her own arms as she crossed them, trying to hug herself and find some comfort. “Why— _why_?”

“T-The serum— he—”

She stormed out instead of letting him finish. Angry tears poured down her face and she shivered, making her way back to Marcel’s loft in the hopes that this wasn’t true, that he wasn’t dead. He would be there, on his couch, drinking bourbon and holding up the vial, saying he barely escaped with his life. He would listen and get rid of it and keep himself safe.

But he wasn’t there when she arrived. All that lingered was his presence from earlier, the glass he’d broken still on the counter after Beatrix had fixed it.

She started to sob loudly, falling to her knees in front of the rack with his clothes. She grasped desperately at one of his shirts, holding it into her chest as she started whimpering and shaking her head in disbelief. First Cami, then Davina, and now Marcel. 

“N-No,” she whimpered. “No, Marcel… n-no…”

She let out a pained scream, trying to muffle it in the shirt. She held it so tight to her face that she would have suffocated herself, were she not a vampire. “I-I’m so sorry,” she cried, covering her face completely with it. “M-Marcel— I s-should have protected you, I s-should have stopped you f-from taking that v-vial with you— I s-should have gone, I s-should have remained at your side… I-I should have been a better m-mother to you, I… I should have taken you from that place and run away and raised y-you somewhere you’d be safe…” 

She let her fist fall against the floor, pounding against it weakly. She wanted to throw a fit, to break everything in sight, but this place, as it remained untouched, was the last thing she had of Marcel. All his possessions and the way he’d set his loft of, in his own style, for his own comfort.

Her face was stiff from crying when she heard footsteps. She didn’t turn to see who it was because she knew it was Klaus. The weight and sound of his movements, how he approached her without making contact. The smell of his cologne and the rustle of the clothes he wore.

“I did not wish him dead,” he whispered. “You may not believe it, and I don’t expect you to, but it is the truth. I will never be able to find the words that I need to use in order to apologize to you. I have said and done unspeakable things and been selfish. I have not appreciated you the way I should and I have not kept you out of harm, as I promised I would. I did not mean the things I said to Aurora, but I should not have said them even if they were lies. It was disrespectful to you. 

“I failed you. As a friend, as a partner, as a co-parent to the child we raised. I didn’t wish for it to end this way. I didn’t wish for it to end at all. I have loved you since the day I first told you those three words, my little witch. I never stopped. Yet I was too stubborn to admit my faults and chose to linger with the idea of your betrayal. And when we thought you dead, I did nothing to try and find you, though my brother insisted you were not gone. Everything we did, I meant it. I meant every touch and every word. You are the art I have never been able to put onto a canvas because you are something that one needs to see and take in to understand, to appreciate, and I failed in that, to show you your value in my eyes. I adore you. You give me reason to be better. All the paintings I’ve studied and made cannot amount to the beauty that radiates from you. If you do not wish to consider us family, I will not stop you. I will support you, and aid you in getting away. My greatest mistake will be not having treated you and Marcellus better.”

She heard his footsteps recede slightly as she continued to cry. She heard him pick up something and flip pages. “‘She is so conjunctive to my life and soul that, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not but by her.’”

He flipped back another few pages as two sets of footsteps joined them in the room. “‘When sorrows come, they come no single spies, but in battalions,’” said Klaus. He snapped the book shut. “Hamlet. We taught Marcel to read with this very copy.”

“Cool,” came Josh's voice. “Well he’s not here, so…”

“He’s dead,” Klaus said, walking out of the room.

Beatrix let out a soft sob, and Josh let out a shaky breath. “The serum… Marcel didn’t take it because of me— if I hadn’t begged him to wait—”

“Is that what you really think?” said Vincent. “You think that because Marcel wanted them to think that.”

At this, Beatrix turned, looking up at him as he continued, “Now the truth is, Marcel took that serum the moment I offered it to him. He didn't even hesitate. So if the Mikaelsons think he's dead, they're in for a hell of a surprise.”


	53. Chapter 53

**The following days were stressful for Beatrix.**

It was a relief to know Marcel was not dead. She couldn’t have been happier to know that he was still around and that she hadn’t lost him.

But the problem was the way he was going about things.

Vincent, Josh, and Kol had helped disconnect the Ancestral realm from its connection to New Orleans, with Davina’s help. This meant that the Ancestral magic that had been used to create the serum coursing in Marcel’s veins was now inaccessible. Though Vincent had told Beatrix that this was good, because it meant her magic would be stronger, she knew the real implications were worse. For one, Marcel was practically undefeatable. Secondly, she knew that now, her magic would not be suppressed, meaning it could grow darker and unchecked if she didn’t watch herself.

She hardly had the time to worry about her own health. Marcel had laid low in his loft with her for the days following his return, and she had been trying to convince him not to go through with his plan to destroy the Mikaelsons.

“Marcel, you’re letting your rage go too far!” she insisted. “I’m incredibly angry with Elijah too, but this isn’t how you should have gone about it.”

“He killed me in cold blood,” Marcel sneered. “Right when he saw I had the serum container. He hardly hesitated. I can’t be killed, I have nothing to fear.”

“Marcel, you’ve seen how cruel they can be, how dark I’ve been,” she pleaded. “Don’t make that same mistake. Do better— be better. Davina wouldn’t have wanted this.”

“It doesn’t matter what Davina would or would not have wanted! She’s not here because of them. And I don’t know why you continue to back them up.”

“Like it or not, we quite literally will always be tied to Klaus through blood, as his sirelings,” she retorted. “And though they are a shitty family, they took us both in.”

“And look how well that went. Elijah won’t even acknowledge that you were probably the love of his life. Klaus is rude to you every chance he gets when he doesn’t need something from you. Even Kol— that guy was an asshole, did you forget what he did in 1821?”

“I didn’t forget. But it’s been a long bloody time since then and he’s been a better man because of Davina. I went to the Compound yesterday, remember, to vanish the rest of my stuff— Klaus especially is feeling terrible and I know he’s still a prat but your ire is going to cause problems here in the French Quarter, Marcel, and I don’t want you causing harm to innocent people just to get the Mikaelsons out of here.”

He threw his hands in the air. “So Klaus speaks some shitty apology to you and now you’re back to siding with them?”

“I never said I’m siding with them, damn it, I just don’t want you jumping into a war.”

“My bite will kill anyone and everyone who stands in my way,” Marcel snapped. “Be it them or other vampires.”

She frowned. “Even me?”

He looked away. “No, I don’t want to hurt you, or Rebekah, for that matter. But you both just keep supporting Klaus like you owe him something. Neither of you owe him anything. He’s treated you both terribly and you run back to him each time.”

“Marcel, this is going to become a problem. I know you’ve been inviting vampires in. The Quarter will become a killing ground and no one will be safe. I don’t want you to do something this cruel. This is the kind of thing Klaus would do, and the whole point is to not be like Klaus.”

He scoffed. “I thought, of all people, you’d be on my side.”

“As a friend, I am fully in support of this because I know more than anyone the damage the Mikaelsons have done. But as the woman who raised you? As the aunt of Hope? The best friend of Rebekah? This is wrong, Marcel. I made the mistake of letting my anger get to me when Kai and I demolished the Gemini Coven. We killed innocent people and that guilt tore me apart. I have only partially redeemed myself because I helped those siphon twins be born. But that pain I feel because of what I did— because of the monster I allowed myself to be— it’s still there. That day, I was a beast. I was just like the Mikaelsons, and it was embarrassing and hurtful and just evil. I don’t want you to do that. I don’t want you to come to your senses later and feel any sort of guilt—”

“I won’t feel any guilt,” he snapped. “None at all. I’m sick of them getting away with things. I don’t need to think any of this through. I don’t want to hurt you but if you keep defending them, you’re going to get caught in the crossfire.”

She stepped back, arms crossed. “Is that so?” she said, glaring at him. “You would bite me for trying to stop you from causing damage to our city?”

“I don’t want them here, Beatrix! Why is that so hard to understand? This is our home, we were born and raised here, we have ties here, not them! They’ve only wreaked havoc here since they arrived. They ruined so many lives and we can’t let them get away with it. But fine. If you don’t want to help, then stay the hell out of the way because mark my words— everyone who defends them is going down.”

She gritted her teeth and scoffed. “Well, good thing I’ve been flirting with Death for awhile now. I’m disappointed, Marcel. I didn't raise you to be like this. The little boy I took care of—”

“Is gone!” he spat. 

“I see that now,” she fired back. “This— all this? The attitude and the revenge plans and the unbridled cruelty? That’s all Klaus.”

She stormed out. She heard Marcel leave in a blur behind her, likely already wanting to get his plan underway so that she wouldn’t be able to warn them. Not that she had been planning to.

She made her way to the Compound. All around her she could sense movement— vampires heading at Marcel’s beck and call to aid in tormenting the Mikaelsons. Though a part of her felt no sympathy for them, she certainly was worried.

Klaus’s words had been ringing in her head the past days. He sounded like he genuinely meant it. In fact, it’d been a long time since she heard such sincere words from him, and he had actually apologized this time. 

She loved him. And it would be difficult for any love of that sort to just fade instantaneously. She was furious with him and his family, but she definitely still had feelings for him. That wouldn’t change overnight or even over the course of a few nights.

When she got to the Compound, a massive amount of vampires was inside the building, and she lingered at the back of the group, not yet wanting to be seen by Marcel.

He was in the center, addressing the three Mikaelson brothers.

“Never thought it would come to this,” said Marcel. “But as always, The Mikaelsons made my choice for me.”

Beatrix could barely see Klaus’s face, but he was clearly stunned. “Marcel… how?”

“How are we in your home?” asked Marcel. “I've friends who can nullify a deed, forclose on a property like that,” he snapped his fingers. “Or did you mean… how am I not a rotting corpse?”

“I thought my friend was dead, and yet here you are,” answered Klaus. “So send these fools away, and let's talk. You and me.”

Marcel hummed. “Is that relief I hear? Really? If I hadn't been one step ahead of you, I would be at the bottom of the river.”

Beatrix saw Elijah step forward. “Marcel, your anger is with me. I'm the one that's responsible for this crime against you.”

“One thing I learned sticking around this family, Elijah, you take on one of you, you are taking on all of you. These guys, Klaus's sirelings, they're here to bear witness today.”

“Are you planning to put on a little show, Marcellus?” asked Kol scathingly.

“Damned sure I am,” answered Marcel. “The Fall of The Mikaelsons. And guess what, the show has already started.”

Kol stepped forward next, but closer to Marcel. “I know you're hurt. I loved Davina, too. And it would break her heart to see you like this.”

Marcel jabbed a finger in Kol’s direction. “Don't mention her name. If it weren't for you, she'd still be alive.”

Kol slapped his hand down. “But she's not,” he snarled. “This is an insult to her memory.”

Marcel had had enough. With speed to match the three brothers, he knocked Kol back, and the Original retaliated trying to snatch away a blade in Marcel’s hand— Papa Tunde’s blade. However, Marcel caught his hand and yanked him forward, biting into his neck and making Kol let out an anguished yell of pure pain. Beatrix clapped her hand over her mouth as the crowd roared in approval. When Marcel had disconnected his fangs from Kol’s neck, he snapped it, and threw his body back against the wall, dead, for the time being.

Elijah and Klaus both leapt at Marcel, and Beatrix shoved her way into the front, listening to punches and kicks being thrown. With ease, Marcel was keeping up with the attacks of both brothers, and he grabbed Klaus, throwing him back at the same wall that Kol had hit. Elijah was left fighting him alone, and out of impulse, Beatrix jumped in. Marcel’s eyes glowed red as he dodged her strikes, and with a flick of her hand, she sent him back, but he recovered quickly and tore forward, grabbing both her hands and bending her wrists back, making her scream. His head moved down, and he was about to bite her arm when Elijah’s hand shot out in front of Marcel’s mouth.

The Original let out a loud yell as he was bit instead, and growling, Marcel grabbed him and Beatrix like they were rag dolls and tossed them back beside Kol and Klaus, who had gotten to his feet, his eyes glowing yellow. Just as he launched at Marcel, a blur of red came between them, and yelled, “STOP!”

“Rebekah,” breathed Marcel in surprise.

Rebekah turned to her brother. “Hayley has Hope and Freya. Take our brothers and go now. Marcel will not hurt me.” She turned to face Marcel. “Not, if he knows what's good for him.”

Klaus sped back as Beatrix helped Elijah up. Grabbing a hold of Kol and the other two, Klaus sped off, and they didn’t stop moving until they reached the familiar penthouse of Lucien Castle.

“Why are we here?” Beatrix panted as she put her hand over Kol’s forehead, reviving him so that she could help him along easier.

“Hayley was going to be here, she had told me,” said Klaus, looking as though he didn’t know what to tell her about her presence. Obviously, he looked surprised to see that she was helping.

Beatrix looked up at Elijah as she and Klaus dragged a now barely conscious Kol into the elevator. “Thank you,” she said softly, forcing back tears. Marcel had been about to bite her, and now instead, Elijah was hurt.

“Anytime,” he panted as the elevator ascended.

When the doors opened again, they stumbled into the foyer. “FREYA!” yelled Elijah as Klaus kicked the door open. Kol let out a grunt of pain as the three dragged him in. Hayley was before them, her face covered in blood, while Freya approached, looking pale. Beatrix and Klaus pulled Kol to the couch as Hayley ran to Elijah, seeing the wound on his arm.

“I’m going to die,” gasped Kol loudly, making Hope cry from the other room.

“You’re not going to die,” said Klaus immediately.

Kol chuckled darkly, and hoarsely. “Now that sounds familiar. Isn't that what you said to Finn and Cami?”

“Lucien engineered his venom from the seven werewolf packs,” said Baetrix. “That’s the key to the cure. We just need to find out how to make the cure.”

“Oh, great,” said Freya breathlessly, “that's the first piece in a puzzle none of us will be alive to solve. I'm poisoned, Rebekah is hexed, and our brothers are bitten. We need three different cures to three different ailments, each of which could take years to find, and none of us will make it through the day. 

“Let me just try to slow the progress of everyone’s ailments down,” said Beatrix, taking Freya’s arm. “I can siphon from the three of you now that the Ancestors can’t hold me back. It will slow down the progress of the poison on all ends.”

She started to siphon from Freya, closing her eyes when she felt a very strange tug in her gut as she did it. For some reason, even though the Ancestors weren’t fighting back anymore, she was feeling pain. A very bizarre pull in her abdominal area. She had to fight the urge to wince, not wanting to disappoint the others.

“That should help a bit,” she said as calmly as she could to Freya, who looked less dizzy. “Here, Kol, you next.” She put her hand on his neck near the bite and closed her eyes once more as she started to siphon.

Pain, again, but she was thankful to be facing downward so no one could see that her lips had pursed, trying to keep from gritting her teeth too audibly. She felt a looming sense of dread over her figure, and her arms seemed to feel heavier as she sucked in some of the dark magic that was threatening to hurt Kol. She hadn’t siphoned this much darkness in awhile, and her body wasn’t as resilient as it used to be. She knew, consciously, that this was hurting her, and it had nothing to do with the Ancestors. Her body was wearing out, unable to tolerate much more darkness that already existed within her since her birth.

“Elijah, now you,” she said as Kol slumped back weakly. She put her hand on his forearm and this time, she did wince, and they noticed, but she held her hand up to encourage them to remain silent. 

She had been a vampire too long. She had a different nature and the magic no longer gave her sufficient outlet. There was too much black magic inside of her, and she knew, in that moment, that this was a sign that her body couldn’t take much more. She was meant to have died long ago so that the symptoms would never come out. But the mania and the tantrums and the pain were showing their faces as a warning. She would need to cast a massive spell sometime sooner, in the next eight years, at least, to keep it from consuming her. It was worse that she couldn’t understand it— no one could. No one knew the specifics behind her birth and no one would know how to save her. It was a disease she had been granted since her creation, that would eat away at her as the years progressed. In her attempts to help the Mikaelsons, losing and taking back magic, her body had begun to magically decay.

She stumbled back a bit when she had finished siphoning. Klaus caught her, and immediately tilted her head to face him. She looked fine, just a bit out of breath.

“What was that?” he demanded. “You’ve never been weakened by siphoning.”

“It’s the lingering Ancestral magic,” she lied. “It just caused a bit of pain.”

No. It was not that, and she knew it. It was her vampire body rejecting her magic and unknowingly killing her. Her hybrid nature would eventually be the death of her. Physically or mentally. Either one could happen first. She could lose her mind and grow excessively violent, as could anyone tainted by dark magic (though she could withstand more, naturally) or she could lose her life, her body decaying and unable to continue with so much inside.

No creature could survive with such darkness. Though her aptitude and tolerance was higher, it would still be her downfall.

“Rebekah called,” she heard Klaus say not long after. She’d zoned out, just thinking of what she had been feeling. “My sirelings wish me to stand trial for my sins. If I do not, they will hunt me down, and destroy anyone and anything in their way.”

“It’s not a trial,” said Elijah. “This is suicide. Take Hayley, take Hope, get the hell out of the city.”

“No,” said Hayley. “We won’t leave here.”

“No!” yelled Kol suddenly, thrashing on the couch. “Davina please! No, don't leave me!”

Elijah, Hayley, and Freya rushed to hold him down. Beatrix was too weak, and she looked up at Klaus. “You can’t go,” she said, grabbing the couch arm to get up. “You can’t…”

Freya stepped toward the two of them before he could answer. “There may be a way to save them.”

“Then I will move the world to make it so,” said Klaus.

“I need time,” Freya said. 

Klaus bit his lip. “You think I should stand trial before that death-dealing mob?”

“Well, that’s the easy part,” said Freya. “In order to save your family, you need to come out of that trial alive.”

“Let me come with you,” said Beatrix immediately. “You can’t go alone.”

“Don’t be absurd,” said Klaus. “You and Hayley need to stay here— the others need you.”

“But—”

He leaned down and held her head in his hands as he kissed her. She was already feeling so dizzy that her knees buckled, and he had to catch her as he pulled away. “If I die,” he whispered, “I do not wish you to see it, my little witch. And I am no fool. You’re not well. Rest. Help Freya.”

“Klaus,” she whispered, bringing a hand shakily to his face. “I don’t want to lose you…”

“You won’t,” he said, though he sounded uncertain. “I will still be around. After all, I have a lot of things to make up to you.” He pulled her in again and kissed her forehead gently. “It’s alright. Stay with our family. I will find a way to stay alive.”

She had been too fragile to argue or to follow after him. She had forced herself to ignore how her head spun. She tolerated Freya’s explanation of her plan, using the spell her Aunt Dahlia had utilized to keep them alive for so long. The one thing Beatrix fixated on was that she could fuel the spell with quite a bit of the dark magic currently making her feel sick. That would be enough to slow down the symptoms, but for the first time, she was becoming self-aware of how serious her predicament had been all these years, something she had never really let herself focus on. 

She wrote as Freya dictated, her hand shaking but the pencil remaining remarkably still. She did not dare try to siphon more, even when she saw Elijah and Kol were beginning to hallucinate. She couldn’t bear it— she was paranoid that any more would kill her. At least, her siphoning had benefited Freya the most, which was the most important piece in completing the spell. 

It felt like an eternity later when Hayley’s phone began to ring, and she came over to Freya and Beatrix to answer it. “Rebekah, is it over?”

“Nik found a way to stay alive,” Rebekah panted on the other line. “Now it’s up to you, Hayley, and Trix. Make his sacrifice count.”

“We will,” promised Hayley. “Hang tight, I’ll come for you soon.”

She hung up as Beatrix went to bring Elijah and Kol to sit at the table. Freya smoothed out the parchment in front of the two witches which had each of their names written out. Hayley took Kol and Elijah’s hands while Beatrix linked both of hers with Freya’s to aid her in the spell, since it would be dangerous for her to attempt the entire thing alone.

“Rebekah’s dagger, with her blood,” said Freya, looking down as she disconnected one of her hands to put it on top of Rebekah’s name. Together, the two began to chant, _“Phasmatos inta grum, vin callus nova samem. Phasmatos inta grum, vin callus nova samem. Phasmatos inta grum, vin callus nova samem. Phasmatos inta grum, vin callus nova samem—”_

Freya, Elijah, and Kol gave out loud gasps as their heads fell back, the three now unconscious. Beatrix let out a shaky sigh, feeling a weight lifted from her. Her mind cleared, and she was glad that for now, her worries could be channeled elsewhere.

“Go get Rebekah,” said Beatrix to Hayley. “I’ll get them in coffins. We can vanish them until we get somewhere safe, then have them appear.”

“Watch Hope for me, will you?” said Hayley before speeding off. Beatrix nodded, even though the hybrid couldn’t see her.

Calmly, she leaned down and reached into the air, bringing out one handsomely polished black coffin she’d vanished years ago, for herself, saying that it was what she wanted to be buried in. Holding her hands out, she channeled more of the magic. _“Effingo rakev yahmi, duplikat nesh praesidio, mukarar arca chranit.”_

Three identical coffins appeared beside it. Slowly, she opened each lid, and started placing Freya gently in the first, closing it. Then Elijah, then Kol, and when Hayley arrived, Rebekah was the last to be put in hers. When all the lids were sealed, she put her hands over each, vanishing them one at a time. 

“They will be safe,” Beatrix said quietly. “Time for us to go.”


	54. Chapter 54

_February 15th, 2018_

**When she felt the plane land, she woke up with a start.**

At this point, she never bothered to stay awake during flights anymore. She was accustomed to sleeping the entire time, and she would wake up automatically when the plane landed, feeling the jolt as it hit the ground. She spoke to no one and ate nothing, because she wasn't going to pay for a first class ticket. Peanuts were enough if she was really starving, but she refrained from indulging in those. 

For the past four years, this had been her life.

Beatrix, Hayley, and Hope had left New Orleans that night at the end of March and had not looked back. They had only stopped once at a diner to get food, but had kept moving immediately. Hayley had asked Beatrix if she knew of any safe houses similar to the one they had stayed at long ago. She had recalled one in Texas, and they had driven there, finding a quiet, abandoned house. Beatrix had fixed it up, and it had become their home. The coffins had been brought back to rest in the attic, where they could at least feel the presence of the Mikaelsons in their home.

As the years progressed, Beatrix had moved around often, though she always came back to their little house. Between going to school and looking for witches to yield cures, planes became a normal form of transportation, and at this rate, she was very accustomed to them.

She and Hayley took turns following leads on cures. The first year had been very hectic, as Beatrix had enrolled at Harvard for Medical School. Though she had the advantage of working very fast through the material with her reading speed and magic that could be used to absorb knowledge, it was still tedious to be moving all over the country trying to locate members of the seven wolf packs, and other witches who might know how to help Rebekah and Freya. Her hands constantly ached from taking notes and typing at terrible angles on her laptop to try and find maps easily, but she tolerated it, for the sake of her family. 

Beatrix had finished all four terms of Medical School in one year in order to devote time to research. It had been an insane feat to learn so much and progress so far in such a short time, but she was easily able to compel her instructors to not see anything odd in it. She had graduated and gotten to start practicing right in Texas, so that she could be near Hope, who was already going to school and was proving to be very fun company for both Hayley and Beatrix.

Whenever she wasn’t at home, coloring or running with her niece, Beatrix was in a lab or at the hospital she worked at. Though she did love treating her patients, she strayed away from her previous workload of constant baby deliveries, and had focused a bit more on learning laboratory procedures. Once they found the cures, her magic and the tools in the research rooms could prove useful in speeding up the process to waking up the Mikaelsons.

But it had taken far too long for the two women to find anything of use.

The years had rolled by with minimal leads as time went on, and even though Mary, Jackson’s grandmother, was helping them, it became clear that it wasn’t going to be the speedy process they had excepted.

Beatrix had tried to remain optimistic.

But even this was difficult. She hadn't spoken to Marcel since that fateful day when he bit Kol and Elijah. She tried to distract herself with Hope, focusing on helping her niece learn some basic magic so that she could be more in control of her abilities, though after awhile, Hayley had asked that she stop, because she feared someone might locate them if Hope didn’t wear her anti-magic bracelet.

The Heretic was happy when she was at the hospital, but outside of it, she struggled quite a bit to bring a smile to her face.

She had dared only a few times to visit Klaus. Heavily cloaked, she had crept back to the Mikaelson Compound. But everytime she went in, she was blocked, and could not see him up close— or at all, sometimes. He was never lucid enough to respond to her gentle calls. Either way, she was terrified she’d be caught by Marcel, and that he’d kill him.

So she stopped going.

She didn’t hate to be with Hayley and Hope. They were bright and their laughter was contagious. Hayley was becoming a good friend of Beatrix’s, and they found solace in each other. Hope was an adorable young girl with a lot of curious ideas, and she constantly kept Beatrix feeling some sort of joy.

However, it wasn’t the same. And it had taken a toll on her. The dark magic had not yet been fully purged from her system since the last time she took it in. It was a risk to do much magic, and Beatrix’s worries had brought on some temperamental instances where she’d had to withdraw from the house for a few days and calm down, putting her magic away in random objects she found so that she wouldn’t risk hurting Hayley or Hope. 

The physical symptoms were becoming harder to ignore. The side pain was something that came and went, pulsating and throbbing for a few hours at a time and making her feel dizzy, then vanishing as if it’d never been there. On some days when she got overwhelmed, her arms would feel heavy, and when she looked down at them, her veins bulged out from under her skin, completely black. This usually went away once she took several deep breaths and did a small spell. Sometimes, she’d look in the mirror and her eyes would be completely black. In other instances, it hurt quite a bit to bring out her fangs, which had encouraged her to feed a bit less, and only from blood bags. She suppressed most of her vampiric nature to try and ease the spread, but like any disease, it was only a matter of time before it became something that couldn’t be managed.

She was dying, and she knew it. She was looking for excuses anywhere she could to do magic— the kind of dark and exhausting spell that could help expel all this magic and buy her more time. But it was unavoidable, and though she had yet to tell Hayley the truth, she was slowly coming to terms with it.

She had forced herself to go to therapy, finding a particular woman who was a non-practicing witch, so that the supernatural aspects of her life would not be a surprise. She only compelled her into keeping this a secret, for safety, but otherwise, it was like any therapy session might be. She allowed herself to cry and be honest with herself about what she was feeling. She worked through every ounce of grief and guilt in order to ease her mind and aid in eliminating the majority of her psychosomatic symptoms.

It helped quite a bit. She felt like a better person. She started getting angry less often. She became the respectful doctor who was in control of her blood-lust and was kind to patients. She was a good aunt to her niece and a good friend to Hayley. She was determined to do well, because if these were really to be her last years, there was no way she’d want to have any regrets.

She got in the habit of putting her magic away at least once a month for a day, even if she hadn’t had any problems, just to let herself feel free of pain and any weight. On those days, she tried to drink a bit more blood just to not let herself unleash in different ways.

Three days ago, old memories had come back. In her first month as a practicing OB/Gyn, she’d had a patient from Mystic Falls— a teenage boy who had brought in his mother, who was having a lot of pain in her abdomen during their time visiting family in Texas. Beatrix had been able to save the woman from a very dangerous cyst in her ovaries, but she had learned afterward that the boy and his mother were witches, and the cyst had been caused by some herbal experimentation that had gone a bit awry. She had kept tabs on them, and within the next month, they were back. Another cyst in the mother, and this time, and Beatrix had had to confront them about their work. They had said that Mystic Falls was currently vampire-free, and they were taking advantage of practicing magic more openly.

At first, she hadn’t thought anything of it. It was a strange case— the only time she ever had a supernatural patient. The name ‘Mystic Falls’ didn’t make Beatrix feel much anymore, and she’d been okay.

Until someone messaged her on Twitter.

She hadn’t even used the app for messaging in so long. She really only went on to post random thoughts for her few random followers who had really only followed for a follow back.

_“Freddie2000 wants to send you a message.”_

She had been in bed after putting Hope to sleep. Hayley had gone out on a lead, and had asked Beatrix to babysit for a few days. Beatrix didn’t mind— she needed a break from work anyway, and it was always fun to be with Hope. The six year old girl was bright and energetic, and though shy, she never ran out of things to think or talk about.

She had opened the message request. Freddie was the name of the young witch boy, and it made her eyebrows furrow immediately in curiosity. She really hoped his mother wasn’t sick again.

“Dr. La Salle,” the message read. “It’s Freddie. I found your Twitter because I heard you’re going to be out of office for a few days. My mom’s having pain again, and I don’t know what it could be. She says it’s different this time, a bit lower. I did some research and I worry she’ll need a hysterectomy. We can’t travel to Texas again, I don’t think she can handle the trip. Would you be able to come to Mystic Falls?”

She let out a sigh. Sometimes, she wished she could yell at some patients. She had told the woman many times to be careful, since she refused to tell her what herbal remedies she was trying to make.

She decided to text back, professionally. “Hi, Freddie. I will be able to go in a few days. I can get a flight for the 15th. Is there any way you can tell me what your mom is trying to work on?”

There were bubbles that he was typing. “I don’t know. I don’t know enough magic yet and she doesn’t want me to tell you. All I know are the herbs she’s using. We don’t know any other witches here who can help. Every supernatural is gone. All I know is that it’s some really weird smelling thing she’s been drinking.”

Beatrix sighed. Well, that wasn’t helpful at all. She got out of bed and went to the kitchen, fixing herself a sandwich as she got out some of her patient files to look at. “Can you list what herbs she has been using? I can try to figure out from there what she might have done.”

She waited half an hour for a response, which was a bit annoying, but she couldn’t be mad. Freddie had to be about sixteen or even fifteen. An only child with a single mother who was being reckless. She wondered how it would have been like for her if she’d had more time with her mother.

He sent a picture of a handwritten list of herbs. 

_“Sage_

_Camphor_

_Wormwood_

_Jimson weed.”_

“Well, fucking perfect,” Beatrix scoffed to herself, rubbing her forehead. “She’s making a very dangerous fertility remedy. Probably was trying to sell it for money or to help herself…”

What to tell Freddie? She messaged back, “Is there any chance your mother has a friend who is in need of fertility treatments?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “She doesn’t need them, either.”

Beatrix sighed loudly again, putting her head down on the table. Her phone chimed again— he’d sent another message.

“Do you think a sleeping spell might help her?”

Beatrix thought for a minute. “Yes, a sleeping spell might be useful in halting the pain and helping clear anything negative from her system. But I would need to do it, I don’t think you should risk trying it without guidance.”

“You could just show me how to do it. You know a lot of magic, right?”

“Yes, but you’re not supposed to know that, remember? And sleeping spells are complex.”

“I can manage. Can you show me some that I can try?”

“Freddie, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Wait for me, I will arrive on the 15th and you can tell me where to meet you.”

“Alright, Dr. La Salle. Can I ask other questions about some of her new symptoms?”

“Sure.”

“She’s mentioning she has this lack of taste and feeling. She can’t taste any of the food I’ve given her, and aside from the pain, she can’t really feel anything else. I pinched her and she couldn’t tell I was doing it.”

Beatrix frowned. “Concerning,” she muttered. She’d never heard of that happening to anyone alive, not even with magic. Those were the kinds of things that happened to people stuck between worlds— between life and death, who were transitioning into being vampires, usually.

“I will do some research. For now, try to keep her comfortable, I will get there as soon as I can.”

“No offense, Doctor, but what are you doing that makes you unable to come sooner?”

She tried to be calm. After all, he was just a teenager and was worried about his mother. “I’m taking care of my niece. Her mama is out of town and she needs a lot of attention.”

“Oh. Is she a baby?”

“Not anymore, but she needs to be watched.”

“Ok. There’s no way you can come sooner?”

“Not unless her mom comes home early. I will do my best to get there quickly, alright? Promise.”

“Thanks, Dr. La Salle. Is it okay if I ask a personal question?”

“Depends how personal. Your mother is still my patient.”

“It’s just about your family. What are they like?”

“They’re complicated, I’ll say that.”

“Are you married or do you have a boyfriend?”

She was a bit confused at the questions. The boy she had met was definitely too shy to ask such things upfront. She supposed maybe he was different via text. “No.”

“Cool. Well, we’ll see you on the 15th, then. Good night, Dr. La Salle.”

“Good night, Freddie, take care of your mom.”

Another of many reasons why these two were her strangest patients ever. 

And so, on the 15th, she had gotten on a plane and landed in Charlottesville early in the day. She woke as it landed and got her carry on bag, which was all she had, and stepped out of the airport, hailing a taxi to drive her into Mystic Falls. The cabby drove her right to the center of town, dropping her off near the police station.

She was met with two familiar faces there.

“Beatrix!” 

She turned to see Caroline with Matt Donovan. Perplexed, Beatrix went over. “Oh, hello, I didn’t know you still lived here.”

“That’s a long story,” said Caroline gently. “How are you? What are you uh, doing here?”

“I came to see a patient,” she said, eyeing Matt, whose hand had gone to his gun, still in its holster. “Not looking to start any trouble.”

“That’s nice of you,” said Caroline with a kind smile.

“How are your daughters?” asked Beatrix, hoping she wasn’t coming off as too awkward. 

“Oh, they’re good. They’re growing, of course.” She pulled out her phone and showed a picture of two little girls. “That’s Lizzie, with the blonde hair, and Josie, with the brown.”

“They’re adorable,” sighed Beatrix. It was good for her morale to see how healthy the twins looked after she delivered them four years ago.

Caroline turned off her phone and cleared her throat. “How is your niece, Hope? I er— I went to look for Klaus awhile back and I couldn’t find him.”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “It’s complicated, and a bit safer if you don’t know. He will be okay, we’re working on it. Hope is doing well.”

Caroline let out a shaky sigh. “That doesn’t sound good. Is he… is he sick?” The poor vampire looked quite stressed, as though life was testing her a lot lately.

“In a manner of speaking,” said the Heretic. “But I promise he’ll be alright. How is um, Stefan? Is he okay?”

Matt awkwardly turned around, and Caroline let out a soft sigh. “He’s… also complicated. He did something really bad when his humanity was off and well, he’s human now. Er… he killed Bonnie’s boyfriend, Enzo.”

Beatrix’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, well, shit. That’s…” She had the urge to say something morbid because after all, she could not stand Bonnie Bennett, but she held back, feeling some tingling in her arms that was letting her know that her veins were blackening again from the emotions she felt hearing Bonnie's name. If she was indeed dying, she needed to be nicer, even if that person was Bonnie. “That’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, we’re actually here because several of his victims are remembering things,” said Caroline wearily. “When he became human, everyone he ever compelled remembered things he did. Which of course… not all good.”

Beatrix winced. “Crap, good luck with that. If I finish up with my patient soon and can come help, I’ll be glad to stop by.”

Caroline seemed to like this. “Yes, please, only if you can, we’d appreciate it. Well… we’d better get in.”

“Yeah, of course,” said Beatrix, waving at the both of them. “It was good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too,” said Caroline as she and Matt entered the station. 

The Heretic let out a soft sigh and checked her phone. Freddie had not messaged her back after she’d asked him where to meet her. Moving on the balls of her feet, she started to head toward the nearby park she’d walked through with Elijah and Finn. It felt so long ago, and it made her smile a bit at the memory.

Her phone rang. Unknown number. Maybe Freddie. She picked up, but the voice was not Freddie’s.

“I’m really hoping this is Beatrix La Salle?” asked a familiar, hopeful voice.

She frowned. “Damon Salvatore. To what do I owe the pleasure? Why do you even have my number?”

“Well, remember when you gave it to Stefan to help him get away? Yeah, now I have it. I need your help.”

“Lovely. No ‘hello,’ no ‘how’ve you been’ or anything. Straight to the point. Why would I do you any favors, hmm?”

“Because you put my girlfriend to sleep.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hurry up, what do you need? I have to meet a patient.”

“Well, I need help regarding this um, spell to get someone out of hell. It’s some dark stuff and my other witch friend is in no mood to help, and you’re the only one I know that can tolerate dark magic.”

She didn’t respond immediately, because her heart had swelled in excitement. A spell like this. This was what she needed to expel the magic— to buy herself more time and to get the pain to go away or awhile longer.

“Okay, I’ll help,” she said.

This time, he took his turn being silent. “Wait, really? I don’t have to grovel or anything?”

“Believe it or not, this is going to benefit me. Let me just meet a patient, and then I will find you.”

“Are you already in Mystic Falls?”

“Yes. Let me figure out where my patient is and then I can get to you, alright? I’ll be willing to tolerate your presence as long as you keep the nicknames to a minimum, alright?”

“Is there a catch, or something? You’re almost eager to help me.”

She let out a harsh sigh. “No, Damon, I’m not eager to help you, I’m eager to help myself. I’m pretty sure I’m dying and this spell might be the only thing that can buy me time.”

He hung up abruptly, which struck her as weird, but it didn’t matter, because just then, Freddie messaged back on Twitter.

“Can you meet me at one of the diners near Mystic Falls? I’m here having a bite to eat and I can drive us to our house.”

“Alright,” she messaged back, making her way there. She was pretty sure she knew which of the diners he meant. She sped there, stopping about a block away. She looked down at her phone to check for any other messages from Freddie, but he had logged off, and instead, she got a notification that read, _‘CobraKai1972, who you follow, is tweeting for the first time in four years at diner in McKinley, Virginia.’_

She didn’t initially internalize what that meant. She pushed open the door of the diner and looked up, expecting to see the young face of Freddie. Instead, she saw Damon Salvatore seated beside Kai Parker, wearing the same suit he’d had on the day of Jo and Alaric’s wedding.

Kai turned to face her and smirked, waving at her casually. “Hey Trixter,” he said. “Just the gal I wanted to see.”


	55. Chapter 55

**All Beatrix could do was stare at him in shock.**

“Too handsome to handle,” teased Kai, holding up his phone in a selfie mode to capture both Beatrix and Damon in the picture. Damon covered his face, but Beatrix was frozen.

“I think her entire mental computer system is rebooting,” Kai commented to a very annoyed Damon, who turned and looked apologetically at Beatrix.

She came forward slowly and grabbed his face, her touch gentle at first as she made sure he was real.

But then the next second, she slapped him across the face.

“Woah, what the fuck?” Kai snapped.

“What did you do to Freddie?” she growled. 

“Jeez, I didn’t do shit to the kid,” said Kai, rolling his eyes. “I just compelled him to give me his Twitter password. His mom’s not actually sick.”

“What the fuck— why didn’t you just message me from your account? Why— why did you feel the need to trick me?”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Come on, it was funny. I came back and after I found out I couldn’t taste or feel anything, I went to the library and there was this kid with his laptop open and it said ‘Dr. Beatrix La Salle’ on the page, so I compelled him to tell me what he knew about you, and he did. He was writing a stupid essay about you for school and how you helped his mom and you’re the reason he wants to be a doctor— blah, blah, blah. He’s fine, his mom’s fine, I compelled them to forget they met me. Just thought it’d be cool— like a surprise! I’m back!”

She slapped him again, ignoring the stares of the few people in the diner. “Do you have any idea what I went through after you died?” she hissed lowly. “I turned off my humanity because of how much pain I was in! And you didn’t have the decency to approach me upfront and be honest about things?”

He caught her arm suddenly. Her sleeve had ridden up, and he saw the black veins etched on her arm. He frowned and tore the rest of the sleeve up. “So when you say you’re dying… you meant that?”

“Yes, I meant that, you bastard, you think I’d lie?” she said. She hadn’t realized she was crying. Seeing him again, knowing that he was here, combined with the constantly stirring negative emotions inside of her was a very volatile combination. It made her angry that he hadn’t just told her he was back. 

“I wasn’t lying,” said Kai, holding up a bloody napkin. “I actually need medical attention. Still can’t taste or feel anything, but I’ve been coughing up blood.”

As if to prove his point, he started to cough again, and Damon shoved another napkin against his mouth as he purged more blood. Beatrix gritted her teeth and yanked Kai off of his seat and towards a booth at the back of the diner, shoving him down.

“Thank you,” he coughed as he leaned back. 

The waitress approached them from behind. “You okay, sweetie?” she asked Kai.

“Uh, yeah,” he managed. “Lactose intolerance.”

“Can we just have some napkins, please?” asked Damon as he sat down on the opposite seat of the booth. “Thanks.”

The waitress walked off, and Kai sat up enough for Beatrix to sit beside him. “Oh, it feels like I’m being dragged back to hell by my colon. Oh… I can’t go back there. You’re on fire all the time, and ghosts from your past come back to pull your skin off, and occasionally, on really bad days, you go face to face with Cade, who is basically torture incarnate. This is all metaphorical. Except for the fire, which is literal.”

She held up her hands. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is actually going on, or not?”

“I just did!” he said before coughing a bit again. “I’m half in hell, half here, or whatever. Takes a lot of concentration for me to use magic. Damon can probably tell you more— he worked with the devil.”

“Wow, I missed a lot,” Beatrix said, pulling her sleeve back down and flexing her fingers.

“It’s nothing much,” Damon grumbled. “Had a job with a siren to escape the real deal.”

Kai sighed. “Sirens. Man, were they hot?”

“Sure,” said Damon. “If you're into cannibal divas.”

Kai pursed his lips. “I think I am. Beatrix can be a diva.”

“I’m not a cannibal,” the Heretic said, rolling her eyes. “What even kept the sirens going? I’m confused.”

“Evil people,” answered Damon. 

Kai clapped his hands. “Oh, yes! Yes, that is it, it’s so— it makes so much sense! If hell is fueled by evil, and I’m still a little bit in hell, then maybe I can secure my footing here on Earth by— by killing a really bad person,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “just like those sexy sirens did.”

Beatrix and Damon both shared a mildly aggravated look.

“Did I mention I’m trying to preserve my future with Elena by _not_ killing anyone?” Damon muttered.

Kai started to laugh. Clearly, he found this very funny. Beatrix felt unnerved. He was so different, despite looking exactly the same. She always thought that if she saw him again, she’d leap into his arms and kiss him. Right now, she had no urge to do that, whatsoever.

“Damon,” said Kai, “if you think that one more murder is going to seal your fate, then I have news for you, you are super deep in the karma hole.”

Damon looked unfazed. “I have an eternity to make up for what I’ve done.”

Kai coughed. “Yes, and who knows how long I have left. Face it, buddy, you need me. And I need you right now, because I can barely stand, let alone kill. Okay, come on, come on. Just one seriously bad person, use your best judgment. Do it for me, man. Do it, do it for your bro. Do it for…”

“Don’t say ‘Elena,’” Damon growled.

“Elen…”

Damon slammed his hand on the table. “Okay. Sure.” He got up and left, and Kai made a checkmark in the air. 

Beatrix frowned at him. “Let me guess, you only need me to get you fully out of hell?”

“Jeez, I thought you’d be happier to see me, _darling_ ,” he said, pretending to be hurt.

“It’s been four years,” she said, crossing her arms. “Four years. I killed a disturbing amount of innocent people after I lost you. I turned my humanity off and killed some more, in very sick ways. I killed my own half-sister—”

“Aw, you have a sister?” he interrupted.

“Not anymore!” she spat. “And you have the audacity to lie, to trick me, instead of being upfront? I spent months feeling like shit because you— you told me you loved me and then you just died and I never said it back, and—”

“Well, you can say it now,” he prompted, making a kissy face.

“That’s not the point,” she said in an exasperated tone, bringing one hand down to her side as a sharp pain shot through her.

He looked her up and down. “What’s the deal with you? Why are you dying? Where’s your boo, Elijah?”

“He’s not my ‘boo.’ It’s a lot to explain. I took in a dangerous amount of dark magic and my body’s too old, I can’t handle it. It’s killing me. But if I do this spell to get you out of hell, I should be able to expel that magic and buy myself some time.”

He hummed. “You should definitely get me out. It’s not an ‘if,’ it’s a ‘when.’ I want out, and if it heals you, it’s a win-win, right? Woohoo, bad people die, I get to be here.”

She just shook her head. “I don’t think people need to die to accomplish this. The one thing that helped me heal is acceptance of what kind of shitty person I can be. And I will say this now— we never should have done what we did at the wedding. I never should have killed all the people I did in the aftermath. I never should have killed all the people I slaughtered when my humanity was off. They didn’t deserve that. I don’t want to go about that way. I couldn’t stop Marcel from doing something terrible, and now, I can’t go to New Orleans for awhile. And guess what, all this darkness is killing me, so I don’t want to contribute to it by having blood on my hands.”

He leaned back and surveyed her. “Last time, being good got us nowhere. I still died. So why would we act nice now?”

“We weren’t good consistently, Kai. We continued to be bad and just alternated being civil. What we should have done is just gotten out of the 1903 Prison World and _left_. We should have never gone to that wedding. I don’t want to go on a killing spree. I can do the spell without need for that.”

He didn’t look amused, but he said nothing, since Damon came and yanked the two to one of the backrooms, where he had compelled the cook to stay still and wait there. Kai moved forward and immediately began to feed on the man, diving his fangs deep into his throat as Damon washed his hands. 

“Feel better?” he asked Kai after two minutes.

Kai let the dead body fall, his mouth covered in blood. “Eh.”

Damon growled and slammed him into the nearest wall. “Wow,” Kai muttered, looking mildly surprised.

“Listen here, you little twerp,” Damon sneered in his face. “I don’t kill for kicks anymore. So if you can’t tell me this guy’s death meant something, I will turn this room into your own personal hell.”

Kai held his hands up in surrender and pushed him off. “All right. All right. I feel a little better. Emphasis on ‘little.’ If you want to keep this train going to Elenatown, you’re gonna need to find me some more evil people to eat. Okay?”

“No,” said Beatrix, crossing her arms as Damon left, about to make a call. “No, I don’t want to help if this is how it’s going to be.”

Kai groaned and covered his face. “Why are you suddenly acting so moral? You’re sure you didn’t screw Elijah or something and get all noble now that you’re terminal?”

“I didn’t screw Elijah!” she snapped. “This is wrong. Kai, you mistaken my annoyance to be some sort of hatred. I wouldn’t mind having you back. But if you’re going to go about it this way, I don’t want to do you any favors. I don’t want you to come back just so you can be problematic and have blood on your hands again. It’s what got you killed in the first place. If you’re not going to try and redeem yourself—”

“Speaking of redemption,” said Damon, coming back in. “We’re under a bit of a time crunch now.” He looked at Kai. “See, the boss found out that you’re here. Cade’s coming for you.”

Kai looked alarmed. “Wait, he’s… he’s on his way right now?”

Damon rolled his eyes. “I don’t have an exact E.T.A., but you know how impatient he gets.”

Kai put his hands together like he was going to pray, resting his thumbs on his chin. “Oh… okay. What do we do, what do we do? What do we do?”

“Redemption,” said Damon. “We find a way to redeem you, so you don’t have to go to hell. Then Beatrix can do her witchy woo and you’ll be back here.”

“What are you talking about?” Kai scoffed. 

“I’m talking about atonement,” said Damon, as if he was talking to a five-year-old. “I’m talking about a giant, noble gesture of selfless generosity.”

Kai gritted his teeth. “I hate this already.”

Damon shrugged. “You need something that’s gonna push you over the edge in the eyes of Cade. Something to make up for all the pain that you’ve caused. For example, Beatrix here delivered the Saltzman twins safe and sound, after you both tried to kill them.”

“And look how well that’s working out for her,” said Kai, gesturing to her arms. “What does _el jefe_ even have in mind?”

Damon cast him a cheeky smile. “Oh, it’s not up to him. It’s up to me. People do forgive. And when they do, redemption is possible. I know that. Which is why, if you want my forgiveness, you’re gonna bring Elena Gilbert back to life. Right now.”

Kai pursed his lips, but Beatrix spoke for him. “Fine, I’m good with doing it,” she said, rubbing her arms a bit anxiously. “We’ll bring her back, and then I’ll bring Kai back so that he can’t do anything else. But we’re not killing anyone, alright?”

“Sounds fine to me,” said Damon.

But Kai looked displeased. “Not even a bit more? For a snack? I need to eat. I’m a Heretic, too.”

“Aw, well, you’ll just have to wait,” she snapped, pulling a blood bag out of thin air and throwing it at him. “If you’re not going to try and be better I’m not going to treat you with any respect.”

“Ooh, I hit a nerve somewhere along the way,” Kai taunted. “Let me guess. You’re with Klaus.”

“I’m not with Klaus,” she muttered.

“Ah, yes you are.” He wiped the blood from his mouth. “That’s why you’re trying to be all good. Something happened to him because you, him, and Marcel were being a bunch of bad little kids, and now you’re paying for your failures with all that dark magic.”

She had forgotten how well Kai knew her. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It’s not important. Let’s just go get Elena’s body, alright?”

Damon pulled out his keys and beckoned them to follow him. They went to the back of the diner where Damon’s car was. Beatrix recognized it from when she and Kai created its lookalike in the prison world. Damon got into the driver’s seat, and Kai climbed into the backseat. Beatrix went to ride shotgun, feeling murderous when, as Damon started to drive, Kai poked the back of her neck.

“What on Earth is so important that you have to poke me?”

“Jeez, someone’s got a temper. I forgot that about you, Trixter. Are you really that mad that I lied to you?”

“It’s almost like I knew you for nearly twenty years and expected something better.”

“Yeah, maybe it would have been better if I just straight up called you and told you I missed you, huh, and begged you to come and see me so you could free me. Be honest— would you have come?”

“Of course I would have come,” she said under her breath. 

“What’s that? Couldn’t hear you.”

“Yes, you could hear me, I turned you into a bloody Heretic!”

She watched him smirk from the rearview mirror. She felt another pain in her side and pressed her hand against it. Damon cast her a slightly concerned look, and Kai put his feet up against her seat. “Do you still have dreams about me?” he asked.

“I haven’t dreamt since I took in this magic,” she muttered. “Only nightmares.”

“Hmm, okay. What do you do now?”

“I’m a doctor.”

“Why in Texas?”

“Because it’s cheaper to live there. Close enough to New Orleans.”

“Does Hope live with you?”

“No,” she lied smoothly. “I have to travel to see them. And I’m not saying where.”

“Feisty. Where are the Mikaelsons?”

“What’s with the interrogation? Maybe if you hadn’t been an ass and impersonated the son of my patient, I wouldn’t have hesitated to tell you.”

Kai chuckled, and leaned onto Damon’s seat. “Can you tell she’s mad at me? Ah, imagine how hot the sex will be after this…”

Damon groaned loudly. “Please, please, do not put that image in my head! I had successfully forgotten that you two used to bone anywhere and everywhere inside my house when I wasn’t there.”

“It’s not a bad thing to imagine, you know. I bet in Beatrix’s ideal world, she’d be in bed with you, me, Stefan, Elijah, Klaus, Kol, and what’s his face— Lucien.”

Beatrix’s head whipped back. “What?” she hissed. “How— how the hell do you know Lucien?”

“Met him in Hell,” said Kai, wiggling his eyebrows. “He’s the one that told me about you and Klaus.”

“Now I have the image of you and him in my head,” Damon grunted as he kept driving.

“Can you stop imagining what I look like having sex with people?” Beatrix hissed.

Kai laughed. “He can’t help it. Any guy who hasn’t boned you wonders what it’s like. I bet Damon wondered about it when he met you.”

“No, because I have a girlfriend,” Damon muttered. “Who you two very inconveniently put into an eternal beauty sleep four years ago, for literally no reason.”

“It was to make you and Bonnie suffer,” Beatrix said boredly. “At this rate I just want this shit over with, so I’m good with bringing her back. Nothing better to do. Need the dark magic out of me, or else I’ll decay.”

Damon huffed, and Kai leaned back onto Beatrix’s seat. “Is Klaus better than me?” he asked.

Beatrix slapped her arm back, whacking him in the face. “Not answering that.”

“Aw, this gives me prison world flashbacks… you didn’t want to tell me about your sex life.”

“Is this _really_ a necessary topic of conversation?” Damon asked in a strained voice.

“No, it’s not, thank you, Damon,” Beatrix answered, covering her face as she felt her eyes sting a bit. She knew they’d probably turned all black again.

Damon turned to face her and frowned. “Well, your sleeves are useless. You have black veins on the back of your hands.”

She dropped them down and looked, and cursed as she saw the veins had indeed spread. “They’ve never done that before,” she murmured. “I’m getting too worked up.”

“Lucky for you, I’m going to give you a nice little mission,” Damon said with a cheeky grin. 

When they finally got to the Salvatore Crypt in the Mystic Falls woods, Beatrix practically jumped out of the car. She went beside the nearest tree and spit out, some dark blood coming out.

“That can’t be good,” Kai said, coming to stand next to her. “You’ve lost all sense of fun, Trixter.”

“You mean that just because I’m not murderous now, I’m not fun anymore?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“Can you two save your discussion for later?” said Damon, opening the door to the crypt. The two Heretics shared an annoyed look before going in behind him.

“How do I know you won’t kill me as soon as I do this?” asked Kai as he and Beatrix stepped in to see the coffin holding Elena’s body.

“You don’t,” said Damon bluntly. “But if you want out of hell, it’s either trust me or run from Cade forever.”

Kai shrugged and ran his hand over the lid of the coffin. “Man, this thing has some miles on it.” He leaned down near where Elena’s head should be. “Hi, sleepyhead. Remember me?”

“Clock’s ticking, creeper,” said Damon. “Just reverse the damn spell.”

Beatrix cast the two a grim expression as she rolled up her sleeves, ignoring the blackened veins as much as she could. But before she could summon anything they might need, Kai motioned for her to wait.

“It’s complicated magic,” said Kai, rubbing his hands together. “Beatrix may have a crazy amount of darkness as fuel, but I need to siphon more power first, ‘cause otherwise, I might slip away in the middle of it, and… well, that’d be messy.”

Damon looked thoroughly aggravated. “What is it that you need.”

Kai cast him a mischievous smile. “You.” He grabbed his arm and started to siphon, making Damon groan in pain. “Magic takes energy—” He plucked a very strange looking dagger from Damon’s jacket pocket. “If I’m gonna do this right, I need to drain the biggest, baddest battery of all.”

“Kai, stop,” Damon grunted weakly as he fell to his knees.

“Hey, I’ll revive you soon, I promise,” said Beatrix, not objecting to Damon being put to sleep. 

Kai smirked and shoved Damon back, crouching down to his level. “I’ve been in hell long enough to know that there is no such thing as redemption. There are only promises and bargains and tricks we play on ourselves to make us believe that we’re good people.”

He stood up and came over to Beatrix, putting his hand on her shoulder and addressing both her and Damon. She tensed at his hold, not sure what he was planning. She didn’t feel strong enough to counter him. Her side was still aching and the veins running down her body seemed to be getting darker... 

“I’m not a good person,” Kai said, shrugging as if this fact didn’t bother him at all. “I own that. And I will never be good again, no matter how much anyone tries.”

He faced Beatrix and put his hands on her face as Damon struggled to draw breath behind him. “It was nice, with you. I liked it. You’re good company, and if love is something that someone like me can truly feel, then I did love you, there’s no question about it. But Hell changed me. You’re not going to see who I was, ever again. That guy’s gone and I’m not playing nice guy. So if I’m going to go down, I’m going out with a bang.”

He let go of Beatrix and put a hand on Elena’s coffin. _“Invisique.”_

He and the coffin disappeared, and Beatrix reached out, unable to feel anything. Damon coughed loudly and collapsed on the floor, his skin turning grayish as he went unconscious. 

Beatrix stepped back. “Kai, I know you’re still in here,” she said, backing up against the wall. “I can help you… I don’t want you to go this way. I can get you out of Hell, but please, don’t do this…”

She felt cold hands brush up against her neck, and she let out a whimper of fear when a hand wrapped around her throat. He appeared in front of her, a malicious smirk on his face.

“Say it,” he whispered. “Say you’ll bring me back. Say you’ll be with me, and we’ll be bad together. Partners in crime.”

She swallowed back fearful tears. “Kai… I don’t want to hurt people anymore. That’s… that’s not who I want to be. I care about you, I always will, but this— this isn’t the way to—”

He rolled his eyes and snapped her neck, dropping her body carelessly on the floor.


	56. Chapter 56

**She awoke on the cold floor of the crypt.**

Beside her, Damon was still desiccated. It was morning now, and she groaned, sitting up and going over to Damon, bringing out a blood bag from the air and shoving it into his mouth, her hand on his forehead as she murmured a quiet spell to revive him.

He shot up with a loud gasp, and downed the rest of the bag, growling as he sat up. “No way, he knocked you out, too?”

“Unfortunately,” she muttered. “We have to find him.”

“He gave Elena to Cade,” said Damon, standing up and gesturing to the empty space where the coffin used to be. “Damn it…”

“How do you know he gave her to Cade?” said Beatrix, perplexed. “Also— fact check me if I’m wrong but I’m assuming this Cade guy is the Devil?”

“Yes, Arcadius or whatever his fucking name is. He came to me in limbo. Kai still has this dagger that can kill Cade, and he wants me to get it back.”

Beatrix groaned and rubbed her forehead. Damon made a face, and when she looked down, she saw her hand was looking significantly worse. More black veins had gone down. She lifted up the hem of her jeans and saw it had spread to her legs. “I need to get this stupid shit out,” she sighed. “I can’t get him out of hell unless I’m in front of him, though.”

“Let’s go get Stefan,” Damon said. “And let’s hope that idiot didn’t steal my car…”

Thankfully (for Damon), Kai hadn’t stolen his car. They drove toward the Salvatore Boarding House, which felt considerably empty compared to how Beatrix recognized it. Damon beckoned her upstairs to where Stefan was packing several things into a bag.

“Careful, brother,” said Damon. “I can hear you popping a hernia over here. Need a hand?”

“Nope, I’ll manage.” Stefan turned and saw Beatrix. He nodded respectfully. “Good to see you. Things have changed in New Orleans, I hear.”

She bit her lip. “Yes, they have. But your help was much appreciated, and everything that transpired after wasn’t your fault or anything, I hope you know that.” She shifted on the balls of her feet. “Are you going somewhere?”

He nodded grimly and faced Damon. “Look, you're not gonna talk me out of leaving town so you might as well just save your breath.”

Damon shook his head, indicating that was not what he was going to say. “Cade has Elena, Stefan.”

“What?” Stefan said. “How?”

“Long story,” sighed Damon. “Cliff notes: I had a nasty run-in with our old friend Kai Parker. Didn't end well.”

Stefan looked appalled. “What're you talking about? Kai's dead.”

“Eh, not as dead as he was four years ago,” said Beatrix awkwardly. 

“He’s alive enough to screw me over and kidnap Elena's coffin,” Damon noted.

“And he turned her over to Cade?”

“Apparently. But Kai being Kai tried to cheat the Devil. Kept an ace up his sleeve and now Cade wants that too.”

“In exchange for… Elena.”

Damon nodded. “Putting aside the fact that you were gonna blow out of town without having an epic bro moment, I hope wherever you're going can wait. ‘Cause I need your help, brother.”

Stefan nodded. “What’s the game plan, then?”

“I’ll try a locator spell on him,” said Beatrix. “You find out if anyone’s seen him around.”

There was one thing about the modern world that Beatrix loved and it was the way that technology had progressed in order to make finding people much easier.

Kai had, of course, cloaked himself, and her first try at a locator spell had been a bust. However, she hadn’t needed to finish trying a second time, because Stefan came into the room holding out his phone. “He’s at a Karaoke Bar, and I know exactly where. I’ll go in first and talk to him. He doesn’t know I’m human yet, does he?”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Beatrix.

“Good. Beatrix, you can come with me if you think it’ll help.”

She winced. “Eh, I don’t know how much benefit that’ll yield but I’ll go just so you’re not alone in there.”

“What do I do, wait outside?” asked Damon.

“Yes, wait for the right moment, snap his neck, and we get him out of there,” said Stefan. “Everyone cool? Let’s go.”

“I’m driving,” announced Damon as the other two followed behind him. 

They found Kai mid-performance, with several drunk strangers watching him as though he was a famous singer.

“Mama wipe the blood off of my face,” he sang dramatically. It seemed like he didn’t have a care in the world. “‘Cause I can’t see through it anymore. I need someone to talk to and a new hiding place, yeah. I feel like I'm knocking on Heaven's door. Sing it with me, now,” he gestured at the crowd, “I'm knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's door, yeah, sing it with me….” he looked up and saw that Stefan and Beatrix had taken a seat at a nearby booth and shot them a cheeky little wave before continuing to sing, more high-pitched and like he wasn’t trying anymore, “Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's door, wooo. Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's door. Anyway you get the idea. Crushed it. Literal mic drop.”

He promptly dropped the microphone and trotted to Beatrix and Stefan, arms outstretched as though he was greeting them without any ire. “Well, well, well, Stefan Salvatore and my favorite Original Heretic. Hey, how did you find me? Locator spell? ‘Cause if that’s how you did it, that’s really impressive.”

“Yelp, actually,” said Stefan, holding up his phone. “CobraKai1972 wrote: ‘grunge music selection weak, drinks even weaker.’ Then, 30 minutes later, ‘drinks getting better, love this place, microphone emoji, fireball emoji.’”

Kai batted his eyelashes. “Yeah, what can I say, I'm a sucker for second chances these days, which is why I haven’t gone ballistic yet even though Beatrix is here. Ever since Cade gave me a new lease on life in exchange for your boxed-up ex-girlfriend— which I assume that's why you're here.”

Stefan shook his head. “Actually, I'm here for what you didn't give Cade.”

Kai drummed his fingers against the table and took Beatrix’s hand, making her flinch as he ran his fingers over the blackened veins. “Hmm, yeah, I guess that's what I get for trying to put one over on a psychic. Listen, I'm sorry, Steven, but that dagger's my insurance policy in case Cade ever tries to send me back to that hot spot.”

“You want an insurance policy?” Stefan asked. “How about this. You give me the dagger and I'll kill him.”

Kai scoffed. “Cade's the Devil. I looked into his eyes when I was handing over Elena and I decided that it's not worth the risk. Why would I trust you?”

Stefan shrugged. “Because you're afraid of him. And I'm not.”

“But that's not the only difference between us, is it?” Kai asked. “For example, me, I'm this all-powerful Heretic, right, and you, you're just a puny vampire.”

He grasped Stefan’s arm roughly and started trying to siphon, but was unable to do anything.

Stefan looked pleased. “You can’t siphon me. I’m human.”

Kai was shocked. “Are you serious? That is insane. That's like, like major life change. Wow. Oh, ok, um, I'll tell you what. Tell you what, I've changed my mind. You can have the dagger.”

He brought it out and stabbed it right into Stefan’s hand, making him cry out in pain. Beatrix got up, but Kai just started to laugh, which left her unsettled, and when she thought of a spell, she found that she wasn’t able to perform it. “You two are funny, coming here, trying to convince me. For the record, killing Cade's not the only thing this dagger's capable of. Because when you kill the Devil, Hell goes along with it. Speaking of which, Stefan, any last words before I send you there myself?”

“Damon,” Stefan croaked.

“Damon,” Kai repeated. “Oh, that is so sweet! I'll be sure to tell your brother that you were thinking of him when you died.”

Just then, Damon sped up from behind him and snapped his neck. Beatrix shook herself out of her daze and ran to pull the dagger from Stefan’s hand. Gently, she put her palm over the wound and murmured some words softly, healing him up.

“What took you so long?” Stefan demanded as he looked at his brother.

Damon looked mildly offended. “Sorry, I went to put in a song.”

He hoisted Kai up, and Stefan helped him. “He weighs a ton,” Damon grunted. “How did you manage with this body on top of you, Beatrix?”

She groaned and rubbed her forehead. “You must know that it’s different that way. I’m not going to bother answering that. Where are we going to take him?”

“The Armory,” said Stefan. “It’s the building of this organization that investigated supernatural artifacts. Caroline and Alaric should be there now.”

“Perfect, let’s go,” said Beatrix, helping at least with Kai’s legs as they pulled him to the car.

Of course, she’d had to ride in the back seat with him. She had awkwardly put her head on his lap, since she felt kind of bad just leaving him hanging off of the seat. He looked so innocent when he was just sleeping, but Beatrix knew that wasn’t true.

When they arrived, the two brothers yanked Kai out, and Beatrix walked in front to open the door for them.

Alaric and Caroline clearly hadn’t been expecting visitors. They looked down in shock as Kai was dragged in, thankfully still unconscious.

“Sorry,” said Damon loudly. “This place had the nearest holding cell. Little help?”

Caroline sped down, but Beatrix noticed she hardly acknowledged Stefan. The two women helped Damon take Kai down a series of hallways to a cell, shoving him in carelessly before exiting and watching him through the window.

“So,” Damon said to Caroline. “You just opted to help me with this homicidal lunatic instead of spending a moment with your fiance. Care to elaborate?”

Caroline pursed her lips. “Given what you've just dragged in, I think you should be the one explaining.”

“Sorry, Blondie,” Damon said almost apologetically. “Probably safer if you don't get involved.”

Caroline looked exasperated. “Great. Another Salvatore brother freezing me out. Stefan told me that he needed to go on some spirit walk to God knows where, figure out if he wants to be with me.”

“Hmm, well in his tiny human brain I'm sure he thinks he's protecting you. He doesn't believe he's worthy of someone like you, Caroline.”

“You felt that way about Elena. I need Stefan just as much as she needed you. And Lizzie and Josie need him too.”

There was a groan, and the three saw Kai had woken up. “Ugh. Enough about Stefan, already. What you guys need is someone who can explain to you what's going on with your Gemini Coven twins. Huh, sure there's someone around here who could help with that but I can't quite put my finger on him.” He made a buzzing sound and moved his finger through the air before pointing at himself. “This guy.”

Caroline let out a frustrated groan and walked away, and Damon followed. Beatrix crossed her arms and glared at him. “Really? You can do better than this, Kai. I know that you have more potential. You have a good side and I remember that you were a really sweet guy.”

He sat back on the chair that’d been allotted for him. “Well, you’re the one who made me want to be good, Trixter. But I was alone in Hell. And even now, I know I’m not good enough for you. Compared to Klaus… no, I’m nothing. How can I compete with that? This is going to turn into a terrible three-way tug of war between Elijah, Klaus, and me. I don’t feel like ending up dead again.”

“Then you should care about redeeming yourself,” she said pointedly. “Things are complicated but that doesn’t mean I want to leave you behind forever.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you love me, Beatrix?” he asked. “I mean, you mentioned turning off your humanity, and you’re clearly very intent on making me be a decent fucking person. Tell me. Do you love me?”

She looked down. “A person doesn’t just forget how another made them feel. After all these years… even Klaus knew that I would never fully lose feelings for you, especially not when I lost you that way. I loved you. I didn’t get a chance to say it to you when you were alive. And I will always care for you because you were my solace in that prison world. You were the only one I had.”

“But?” he prompted. “You’re hesitating to mention something.”

“But I want to move on, too,” she said honestly, looking back up at him. “You were mean to me for a long time. And the worst of me was brought out around you because I thought it was okay— if we were going to be bad together, then it was the best way to let my dark side out. But the things we said and did, and the plans we created— it wasn’t right, and I don’t want to revert to that. I have been hurt so many times because I got attached where I shouldn’t have, with people who hurt me. I’m not officially with Klaus because he hurt me, and over the years, I’ve learned that I really do deserve better. I’m not perfect, and neither is anyone else, but we all need to strive for better. And I don’t know if better means you if you’re going to be cruel. I’m a doctor again, Kai, and I don’t want to take lives. I want to save them. And I want to help you, if you wish for me to do so. If you want to be better, if you want to redeem yourself and find your passion and life your life without damaging anyone else’s, then I will support you. I will be your rock and I will help you through any obstacles. Because even you deserve to enjoy life.”

“But not if I’m going to hurt people,” he finished for her. He wolf-whistled. “You’ve changed a lot. I guess being evil isn’t as fun when you’re terminal, huh? You grow bored because you haven’t got much time yet. And well, I assume now that you know how shitty Hell is, you don’t want to end up there. Wow… what happened to you, huh?”

She glared at him. “I was kidnapped. Tortured. Tormented. I watched the people I care about die and there was nothing I could do. You. Jackson… Cami… Davina… Marcel— even if he returned… and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of people getting hurt. I will not contribute to someone else’s pain, not when I’ve felt it like this. Slowly, I’ve been coming to terms with the fact I have been a monster in the past, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to be unhinged and give my niece a reason to fear me. I want to be well enough to help Klaus be a better father. I want to be a good doctor. I hated who I was before I turned my humanity off and I hated who I was while it was off. I have tried to be better because I know I don’t have many years left. At most, I know I’ll have a decade before things get bad. I don’t want my last years to be miserable. I don't want to perpetuate the cycle we experienced in our youth, with all the violence and being accustomed to blood and death.”

He sighed. “Trixter, you’re too hopeful. I was never meant to be a good person. And after experiencing Hell, I can’t be good, not even for you. What we had… that was special. But I’m not going to give up my nature for anyone. Not even you. If you’re not going to be okay with me killing who I want to kill, we can’t be together.”

She swallowed hard, blinking away some tears. She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling more pains in her side. The past twenty four hours had been too much, and she felt weaker.

Caroline walked up beside her with a stern look on her face, standing on the other side of the glass. Beatrix nodded respectfully and began to walk away.

But she only made it to the entrance hall when she heard the sound of glass shattering. She sped back and found Kai kneeling over an unconscious Caroline, 'booping' her on the nose. Her phone began to ring, and Kai picked it up. “Caroline’s phone,” he answered.

“Kai?!” came Alaric’s voice. “What have you done? Where's Caroline?”

Kai looked down at her. “Yeah, she's taking a neck snap nap. Those kids really wore her out.”

“Look, you escaped,” said Alaric. “Why don't you just leave, find somebody else to terrorise?”

“Oh, because you have got two Gemini coven offspring running around here somewhere and you know how I just love Gemini for destroying my life. Who better to terrorise?”

“I'm not going to let you hurt them. I'm coming for you.”

“That's cute, and all, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to find them before you do but, oh what the heck, it's no fun without a little fire under your ass, right? Come get me.”

“Yeah, well, where are you?”

“Just making my way to where kids like to hide. I tried to kill them once already. If at first you don't succeed, well. Try, try to kill them again.”

He hung up and started to walk. Beatrix felt weakened, but she followed, trying to come up with a solution in her head, because he had not made to attack her, leaving her with an upper hand. When he grabbed an axe from a nearby rack after exiting into the main room, she had an idea.

“I’ll bring you fully back from Hell,” she said loudly. “No price. I’ll do it— even if you’re not going to be good. I can do the spell in minutes, and it will give you full access to your magic.”

He turned to her and glared suspiciously at her. He sped to her and gripped her by the throat. “And why would you do that, naughty girl?”

She gulped. “B-Because I don’t want to fight you,” she whispered. 

“Lemme guess, you realize you don’t want to turn your back on me,” he sighed. “‘Cause once you get rid of that dark magic, you can be evil again without repercussions…” He squeezed her throat. “Do it. Now. Before I kill those little twins.”

He released her and she put her hands slowly on his chest. She had to bring him back in order to kill him properly, and though it was a risk to give him his magic back at full potential. She began to chant, _“Iirjae peklo solvo huriya, navrat aljahim uvolnění libertas infernum.”_

Kai let out a loud groan and put his hands on her shoulders, holding her as if thinking he’d drag her to Hell with him if this was a trick. _“Iirjae peklo solvo huriya, navrat aljahim uvolnění libertas infernum. Iirjae peklo solvo huriya, navrat aljahim uvolnění libertas infernum.”_

He gasped loudly, and his eyes flashed reddish-black. He released her and cracked his neck, flexing his fingers and smirking. Beatrix nearly crumpled down, feeling a huge weight leaving her. She glanced down and saw her arms were back to normal, and all that lingered was a pain in her side.

“Whew!” he said, shouldering his axe. “Wow, that feels great. I almost feel like kissing you.”

She half-smiled and raised her hand, pointing it at him. _“Infernum fakhi peklo captionem aljahim siphon.”_

He stared blankly at her, and then began to laugh. “Let me guess. You let me come back so you could attack me properly and stop me from killing those twins. But now— surprise! Your magic is weakened from the spell. Boo hoo. You didn’t leave a single fucking mark on me. Now I have my powers back fully and I can fight back just as strong as you can.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to leave a mark.” She raised both hands and wordlessly sent the axe flying beside her head, lodging into one of the walls behind her. “And by the way, next time, you should respect your elders. You’re a baby Heretic. Me? I’m the Original one. I’ve got three hundred years on you and… now I’m free of the dark magic that was consuming me. So, last chance. Back down, or you’re going to have to fight me.”

His eyes flashed darkly. “Fine. I always knew we’d end up fighting it out like this. I won’t feel any remorse when I kill you. I’ll be sure Klaus gets your head wrapped in tinsel.”

He flicked his wrist, but nothing happened. He looked down and saw she was waving her index finger in circles. “What the hell did you do to me?” he snarled.

“Oh, darling,” she sighed. “I made you. I can corrupt your magic anytime I want.”

She thrust both hands out and sent him flying back into the nearest wall. He got up quickly and sped toward her, but she was faster, and caught him, flipping him and pinning him on the ground. He kicked underneath her and flipped them so he was pinning her down, but she simply flexed her wrists, and he was thrown back once more, hitting the opposite wall harder than before, and making him let out a groan. 

He grabbed another nearby sword and threw it at her. She let out a whisper and pushed her hand to the side, causing the sword to shatter into a million pieces before flying at him, stabbing him like a million smaller shards of glass and making him hiss in pain as he staggered back, clawing at his face. 

“Give up yet?” she said. He growled and she wove her hands in arcs beside her body, causing him to yell out this time, clutching his head as he sank to his knees. He collapsed on the floor and writhed, unable to counter her magic in any way. He was nowhere near strong enough to pose any sort of threat to her. 

Alaric and Bonnie came running in from one of the back rooms as Kai kept yelling. Bonnie gasped in surprise, seeing him there. “Knock him out,” she said to Beatrix. “I can make an Ascendant, and we can send him away.”

“No,” said Beatrix. She let up the curse, leaving Kai groaning still, curled up in a ball. “No… I care about him too much to let him suffer in a prison world again. It’s too dangerous. There will always be a chance for him to get out of a prison world. However, he won’t escape Hell.”

“Yes, I will be able to!” Kai said weakly. “Cade’s dead, but Hell isn’t! It’s never been in better hands.”

“What are you talking about?” Bonnie demanded.

He sat up, though he looked dizzy, and let out a weak chuckle. “Think… of the only person worse than Cade. The person who knows where all your weak spots are. Who wants to hit you there over and over again. Who will stop at nothing to make sure that you and everyone you love, suffer. The one who wants revenge for what you did to her. The myth, the legend, the baddest bitch of all. Katherine.”

Bonnie and Alaric both froze, but Beatrix simply let out a sigh. “Kai,” she said, crouching in front of him. “You won’t be able to get out. That spell I did? It’s to made sure you can’t escape Hell if I send you back there.”

He looked up at her and shook his head. “You’re not going to do it,” he said coldly. “You wouldn’t kill me.”

He tried to get up but slumped back, still in a lot of pain. She put her hand against his cheek. She was crying, knowing what she had to do. “I loved you,” she whispered. “And I gave you so many chances because I know how good you can be. I know that deep down, you’re not bad. I saw it so many times and that was the man I fell in love with. But you just went back to wanting to hurt those little girls. I’m not going to let it happen, not when I fought so hard to bring them into this word. And if you’re not going to make the effort to leave them alone… then I have to let you go.”

He looked up and just chuckled weakly. “This is it, then,” he said quietly. “Yours is the last face I’ll be able to see here.”

“You have only one last chance,” she prompted. 

“No,” he said firmly. “No. I don’t want to be good.”

She nodded slowly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She sat on the floor and brought him to lay on her lap. He coughed and looked up at her. “I have to let you go,” she repeated as she brought a hand to stroke his hair. “I have to. Goodbye, Kai.”

She leaned down to kiss him as she plunged her hand into his chest and tore out his heart. She pulled away, one of her tears falling onto his lips as his body turned completely gray. 

Bonnie and Alaric were silent as Beatrix began to sob.


	57. Chapter 57

_May 29th, 2019_

**Beatrix had recovered in the past year.**

She had cried profusely after killing Kai. No one had wanted to disturb her, but eventually, she’d been patted on the shoulder by Caroline, who got her to let go of the body and the heart. 

She had gotten cleaned up and cried some more. She felt guilt despite having done it to protect the Saltzman twins. Kai was gone for good, and she would really never see him again. It radiated pain all throughout her body, but because the darkness was gone, it caused no damages this time. She had bought herself more time.

Beatrix had only lingered behind a bit to have a serious conversation with Alaric, Caroline, and the Saltzman twins about their powers. It had taken everything in her to not break down as she did her best to explain to them how siphoning worked in younger kids. Alaric had driven her to the airport as a courtesy, watching her write down the spell to bring Elena back, so that he could give it to Bonnie (though she told him to wait until it was safe to bring the poor girl back). Before she boarded the plane, Alaric had thanked her, and told her upfront that he forgave her for what she had helped Kai do to Jo.

And so she had returned to Texas, taking a month off of work to process her loss and simultaneous growth. Hayley had not asked questions, but had deduced that something had taken a toll on her, and for that month, they had followed no leads. Just the two of them and Hope, enjoying movies and food, and reading books before bed. Hayley likely had told Hope to be extra nice to Beatrix, because the Heretic had received an influx of personalized drawings from her niece, which she had hung up in her room. She had placed them around the painting Klaus had made her, which she had vanished last minute before the Compound had been wrecked by his sirelings. She was glad she’d ended up saving it. 

When the month was over, Beatrix had coaxed herself into going back to work. She and Hayley had gone back to doing their search, though it had not yielded much, just yet.

Since Beatrix had felt better, she was able to siphon the entirety of Rebekah’s hex without it harming her. Therefore, she was the first of the four that got healed. They had already found a cure for Freya, but they could not use it until they were ready to wake her. What they were missing was venom from the Malraux pack, but it seemed the entire pack had been wiped out by Lucien years ago, and they had spent the rest of that year focusing more on Hope.

Beatrix had taught her a bit more magic, all in moderation. She taught her some smaller protective charms and healing spells, since she and Hayley had noticed that Hope could already heal some injured insects in the nearby woods. They were both impressed at her skill, and thus, Hayley had allowed for such spell since they were beneficial in case anyone ever got hurt, especially Hope, though she could heal on her own very well.

Eventually, the five year mark of their departure from New Orleans was approaching. They had been discrete, and Beatrix had not visited Klaus, still out of fear she’d be caught and get him killed. As far as she knew, he was still underground beneath the Mikaelson Compound, but until they found a solution for Kol and Elijah’s bites, they could not go free him. 

“Mary called,” said Hayley one evening after Beatrix had put Hope to sleep following a story about Empress Elizabeth Romanov of Russia, who Beatrix had known from 1741 to 1762. “She has some information, and she’s driving over.”

“A lead on the Malraux?” asked Beatrix eagerly.

Hayley nodded. “That’s what she implied. Maybe you should tell the hospital you’ll be off for awhile.”

Beatrix bit her lip. “Yeah, maybe I should.” She patted her shoulder as she got up and went to her room, pulling out her laptop to email the Head of Obstetrics. She’d compelled the woman to give her time off whenever she asked and not ask questions. She took it without pay, of course, to not be dishonest. She made enough money and didn’t need extra accumulating when she wasn’t actually doing work.

The following day, they’d awaited Mary’s arrival. Hope was quite excited to hear that her Grandma Mary was coming, and after breakfast, had asked Beatrix to help her color some pictures as a gift to Mary.

“You’re very sweet,” said Beatrix as she did her best to color just as Hope told her to. “Mary loves your drawings.”

Hope smiled. “That’s why I want to make her some every time she comes. This one, I want her to have a blue shirt, but the one you’re coloring can have a different color.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best,” said Beatrix, dragging the colored pencil gently on the page. “I’m not as good at art as you.”

“You’re still good,” said Hope encouragingly. “You’re just a doctor, so you do art differently.”

“Oh?” mused Beatrix, raising an eyebrow, amused. 

“Mom says healing is an art, like when I do it to the bugs outside. You heal people. That’s art.”

Beatrix pulled her in for a side hug and kissed her on the head. “Remember that always, my sweet girl. Healing is good, and you are kind for making it a priority. You’ve got talent for different types of art, and it’s a blessing to be so well-rounded.”

“I get it from my dad,” said Hope confidently. “You and Mom say that he’s good at painting. That’s why.”

Beatrix nodded. “Yes, you did inherit his talent.”

Hope smiled at this, and let herself lay down as she kept coloring. Hayley came down the hall and peered in, beaming down at the two who were still coloring. The three perked up hearing the sound of a vehicle approaching. Hope looked up at her mother. “Is that her?”

“Let me check,” said Hayley. “Stay inside here with your Aunt Trix.”

Hope nodded, and Beatrix moved to the window, seeing Mary’s familiar truck pulling up, and Hayley meeting her as she got off. “Yes, it’s her, they’ll come in soon,” said Beatrix as she showed Hope she’d finished coloring. “I don’t think it’s as lopsided as last time.”

Hope giggled. “It’s because you lean the paper and forget you’re coloring sideways!”

“Ah, at least I can do a spell to fix it,” said Beatrix, waving her hands over the paper. The previously slanted drawing of Mary and Hope (mimicking Hope’s art style of course) straightened itself out.

“Yours looks much better,” said the Heretic, looking over at what Hope had made. She really did have a knack for that. At this rate, Beatrix hardly knew which colors were good for blending together. It had been centuries since Klaus had ranted to her about painting. 

The door opened and Hope got the two drawings and ran down. Beatrix followed more leisurely, since she didn’t want to interrupt Mary’s moment with Hope. Though Mary and Beatrix were civil to each other, Beatrix constantly remembered that Mary didn’t like her all that much.

“There’s my granddaughter,” said Mary. Beatrix could tell without seeing them that she’d dipped down to hug Hope.

“I made you a drawing!” said Hope. “And Aunt Trix helped me make this one.”

“They look wonderful, thank you,” answered Mary. Beatrix came down the stairs and offered the older woman a smile, waving at her. “Hello, Mary.”

“Beatrix,” said Mary, nodding at her. 

Hayley clasped her hands together as she looked at Beatrix. “It’s a Malraux. The last one, in Austin.”

“Both of you better go together on this one,” said Mary sternly. “After all this time and I barely get word… it could be a trap.”

“We’ll watch each other’s backs, don’t worry,” said Beatrix, holding the edge of the railing. “I should go vanish the coffins in advance.”

“I’ll go warm up the car,” Hayley added.

The two sped off in different directions, and were back downstairs within minutes. Hayley kneeled down in front of Hope. “This might be it,” she told her. “We can bring back your other aunts and uncles, and even your dad.”

Hope bit her lip. “Do you have to go?”

“I do,” said Hayley, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Both Aunt Trix and I need to go together. But we’ll be back very, very soon, and we’ll come back with the rest of the family. I’ll call you every night before bed, okay? In the meantime, you listen to Mary. Deal?”

Hope nodded. “Deal.” Hayley smiled and pulled her into a hug. 

Mary looked at the two as Beatrix grabbed their jackets off the front rack. “Keep your guard up,” said the older woman. “Stay moving. You smell trouble, you run. Those folks, they had plenty of life. What you need to do is stay alive for your little girl.”

“Everything I do is for her,” said Hayley

Beatrix nodded over at Mary as went forward to hug Hope. “See you soon, kiddo.”

“Bye, Aunt Trix,” said Hope, waving as they went out the door. “Bye, Mom.”

It thankfully didn’t take them long to reach Austin, Texas. Hayley informed Beatrix that the last Malraux werewolf was a woman named Keelin. They planned for Hayley to go in and speak to her while Beatrix waited outside, alert for any trouble to get them out quickly if necessary.

When they got to the bar, Hayley went in, casually sitting inside and ordering a drink. Beatrix remained outside on one of the benches, listening around and looking at the people that passed by. 

The first sound that perked her interest was the back door opening, fifteen minutes after their arrival. She peeked in and saw Hayley was not there. Tucking her hands in her pockets, she walked around toward the back of the bar just as Hayley sped beside her, and the woman, presumably Keelin, jumped down to join them from over the wall that guarded the back of the property.

“Do not do that again,” said Hayley sternly. Keelin must have tried to run. “Beatrix here is a witch and she’ll knock you out fast.”

“I’m not going without a fight,” Keelin said scathingly. 

“Darling, we don’t want to fight you,” said Beatrix. “We need you. You’re the last of your pack, and that makes you special for reasons that are far too complicated to explain.”

“I don’t care about your problems,” the werewolf spat.

“You should,” Hayley answered pointedly. “Because there are others who know how important you are. And they will come for you.”

Keelin held her hands up. “Look, I have a life, a career, relationships. Someone tries to take that, they're gonna have to kill me.”

Neither hybrid answered. They shared a look as they heard the sound of glass shattering inside the bar, and an angry voice threatening the staff inside. Beatrix turned just as a male vampire shot their way, and she thrust her hand out, shoving his heart out through his chest. Keelin let out a gasp, and Hayley knocked her head into the wall with a short apology before grabbing Beatrix and speeding the three of them to the car so they could get away.

“The warehouse at the border,” said Hayley once she’d shoved Keelin in the backseat. “You know which one?”

Beatrix nodded and began to drive, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “Close call. They know, and they’re going to be after us, too.”

“We’re lucky none of your Mystic Falls friends said anything before,” said Hayley. “We’ve managed to lay low and not get caught, so far. Kind of hard to believe, since you’re all over the internet as a doctor.”

“Well, darling, I’m not the one they want most,” said Beatrix honestly. “And my spells have been good enough to make them think I live alone in an apartment near the hospital. They think I’m not working with you, and it’s protected us so far.”

“Guess we’re lucky Mary got the lead when she did,” Hayley muttered. “‘Cause otherwise they might have beat us to it.”

Beatrix sighed. “If this were easier, we’d be in Bali enjoying some herbal teas for our stress and Hope would be trilingual.” 

Hayley laughed lightly. “She could be trilingual if you and Elijah team up to teach her French. She’s doing well enough with Spanish.”

“Yes, she can sing all my mother’s lullabies and she can name most objects in the house, so that’s good considering she doesn’t have friends to practice it with. Eventually, she’ll learn more. She’s smart, and she’ll capture it all quickly.”

They arrived at the warehouse not long after, and quickly pulled Keelin in, strapping her into a nearby chair as Beatrix brought back the four coffins and Hayley laid out their supplies.

Keelin awoke shortly after their arrival and flinched, trying to get out of her restraints, but Hayley motioned for her to calm down. “Relax. We’re not your enemies. If we left you where you were, you’d be dead already.”

“Let me guess, we're on the run from vampires? You two have the same stink they do.”

Hayley shrugged. “We’re special. Hybrids. I’m half-vampire, half-werewolf. Beatrix is half-vampire, half-witch. And considering that we saved your ass, you should show us some respect.”

Keelin scoffed as Beatrix dug into their bag to get out the mask and tubes needed to extract werewolf venom. “How do I know you weren't the one that led them to me?”

“Not the case,” said Beatrix as she came over. “They know who you are and they want you dead. The only way to survive is to do exactly what we tell you.”

“It's not like I have a choice.” Her eyes drifted to the mask. “Hey, look, I don't know what kind of pervy stuff you're into, but I am not that kind of girl.”

“It’s not some kinky kind of toy,” scoffed the Heretic. “This is a device to extract your venom. And before you ask, yes, it will hurt. But we’re both doctors here, and we know that you’ll survive this.”

Keelin leaned back. “What kind of sick doctor are you? And why are you doing this to me?”

“I’m an OB/Gyn, darling,” sighed Beatrix. “We’re trying to save our family. The people in those coffins are dying. The only thing we’re missing is your venom.”

Keelin gulped. “So if I give you what you want will you let me go?”

Hayley nodded. “You have my word.”

“Alright, Elijah 2.0, let’s get this on her,” said Beatrix with a smirk as she nudged Hayley with her hip and put the mask onto Keelin. The werewolf began to groan in pain, and Beatrix put her hand on her forehead, soothing her as much as she could.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to get the amount that they needed. Everything seemed to be going well, and Beatrix removed the mask from Keelin.

“You got my venom,” the werewolf said. “When do I get to go?”

“As soon as we know it works,” said Hayley.

“And when will that be?”

Beatrix shrugged and opened up Freya’s coffin. “Once she tells us it worked. Once I prepare for the spell, we’ll wake her.”

Keelin looked over at Freya. “How do you wake Sleeping Beauty?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” said Hayley, holding out a syringe.

Beatrix smirked and moved to the floor, preparing the ingredients for Freya, including the vials of the seven packs, creating a star with chalk on the ground that had seven peaks for each vial to be beside a candle, with dark objects laying beside it. She clapped her hands together and went to Hayley, taking the syringe from her. She hovered it over Freya, feeling where her heart was before stabbing it in, and making the Mikaelson witch gasp loudly as she sat up.

“Freya!” said Hayley. “Are you okay?”

She nodded quickly. “Did you get the ingredients?” The two women nodded. “Good, I need to begin. If I can't turn all that into a cure… Elijah and Kol are going to die.”

Beatrix helped her out of the coffin, and Hayley checked the time on her phone. “How much longer do we have?”

“Maybe an hour,” said Freya. “Assuming they live that long.” She moved to see what Beatrix had prepared and nodded. “This is going to take all of my strength and more than a little luck, but it should be enough to fashion a cure to save my brothers.”

“‘Should?’” Hayley demand. “What do you mean ‘should?’”

“Hold that thought,” Beatrix said, her ears perking up at the sound of vehicles approaching. “We got company.”

Keelin madea face. “Let me go, please? If it's vampires, they're gonna kill me.”

Freya cast her a look. “They must have been tracking her. I need more time.”

Beatrix and Hayley shared a look. “We’ll stall them.”

They sped out to the other far section of the warehouse where three black cars were parked. At first, they saw no one, but then, vampires circled them.

“Took a long time,” said a man opposite one of the cars. “But we finally caught you.”

Hayley shrugged. “Or maybe I just stopped running.” She leaned onto Beatrix casually and looked at her. “I wonder, do these guys remind you of anyone.”

Beatrix pretended to think. “Yeah… I think I find some familiarity in them… the Strix, you think?”

One of the men scoffed. “The Strix? We are not from that filthy sireline.”

“Oh, well, that sucks, ‘cause you’re going to find out exactly why they hate me so much,” sighed Beatrix.

And it was like they rehearsed it. Hayley gripped her shoulders as she chanted, “ _Lamia mut takhamid, hadm partum ard cinere ghabar. Masas dima emorior perdere, khalaq terra ramad pulvis.”_

The vampires had been too confused to know what was happening. They all looked rather young, and in an instant, the majority of them collapsed, their hearts leaping out of their chests and making them turn gray. The Heretic was pleased— the stored magic from siphoning Rebekah’s hex had helped her not feel so exhausted this time. Hayley smirked and patted Beatrix on the back. “I’ll take it from here.”

Beatrix sped off to aid Freya as Hayley lunged at the remaining vampires. The Heretic found Freya on the floor and took her hand to allow herself to be channeled. Freya cracked one eye open and smiled at her as they chanted together, _“La candidat au somme la toxique cantus, La candidat au somme la toxique cantus, La candidat au somme la toxique cantus. La candidat au somme la toxique cantus, La candidat au somme la toxique cantus, La candidat au somme la toxique cantus. La candidat au somme la toxique cantus.”_

The bowl in front of them swirled crimson, and Keelin looked over eagerly. “Did it work?”

“Only one way to find out,” said Freya, taking it and going to the nearest coffin, opening it to reveal Elijah. Beatrix pulled at a clean syringe and took some of the liquid in, injecting it beside the wound on his arm, then dripping some into his mouth. 

He woke immediately, the bite healing. He listened, likely to the sound of Hayley still fighting the vampires, and sped off.

“Well, at least we know he’s back to normal,” Beatrix mused. Freya moved over to wake Rebekah as Beatrix opened Kol’s coffin and did the same, using up the rest of the liquid.

He awoke and chose to crack his neck first. “Bloody hell, am I sore,” he said, getting out. He smirked and pulled Beatrix into a hug. “Got anything to eat?”

“Oh, Kol, she’s not a waitress,” sighed Rebekah behind them, making Beatrix smile as she went to hug her as well. 

"I'm bloody starving, Bex, I was just saying," sighed Kol, shaking out his arms as Freya patted both on the back and went to clean up the materials.

“I’m sure we can find a meal nearby,” said the Heretic, putting her arms around the two of them.

Freya looked up. "I'll clean up here, and make sure Elijah and Hayley are alright. You should take them to eat something."

Kol wiggled his eyebrows in anticipation, and Rebekah smacked him in the chest as Beatrix laughed. “Come on, you two, my treat. The others can meet us there.”

She sped them away.

The others joined soon enough, once they’d gone near the Texas-Louisiana border and ambushed a Louisiana State Department of Corrections bus filled with fresh bodies for Rebekah and Kol, who were obviously famished. When Elijah had come, he’d joined in, but the one that was having the most fun was Kol, as usual.

“Good lord, that one has some lungs on him,” Rebekah said as they heard a distant, loud bellow of one of Kol’s victims. “He should've been an opera singer. Might've ended better for him, actually.”

Freya looked around as daylight washed over them. “Is this absolutely necessary?”

“That depends,” said Rebekah. “Do you want us at our full strength, or do you plan on rescuing Nik on your own?”

Freya sighed. “Well, death rattles are distracting, and I'm trying to break a cloaking spell.”

Elijah looked up. “Kol, would you please?” he called. There was a snapping sound and the screaming stopped. “Thank you. You were saying?”

“I can sense. Klaus is still in New Orleans,” said Freya. “Most likely somewhere underground. I can't get a read on exactly where, unless I'm in the city itself.”

“Good thing for you, I know exactly where he is,” said Beatrix as Kol came back, covered in blood. “The problem is the place is crawling with vampires, all of whom hate us. Whatever we do, we need to do it fast.”

“Whoa,” said Kol. “Wait... Wait, we're not doing this today?”

Rebekah looked at him in disbelief. “Hasn't Nik suffered enough?”

“Yes,” answered Kol, “and I’ve died— twice. I'm not about to give Marcel a shot at a third. Now, I say, we draw that Muppet out of town. And when he's gone…”

Hayley shook her head. “I have been away from my daughter long enough. If you're afraid…”

Kol sighed. “It's called being sensible. Until Freya can make enough cure with her werewolf hostage, Marcel can basically chew through our bloody throats.”

“Enough,” said Elijah sternly. “We're all in danger. We free Niklaus today. Even if I have to burn that city to the ground.”


	58. Chapter 58

**They had followed Beatrix’s plan.**

“I’m going to put a cloaking spell over all of you,” she said. “It’ll seem like I’m alone, and no one will be able to sense you’re there. If we run into one of Marcel’s little minions or Marcel himself, it’ll seem like it’s just me, and it should be safe. Josh is working at Rousseau’s now, I think, since I last popped in, and we can use that to access the tunnels. You’ll still be able to see and hear each other but I won’t be able to see or hear you. Do me a favor and don’t talk shit on the ride there.”

“No promises, Trix,” said Kol with a smirk as she turned around and cast the spell. 

For her, the ride had been calm. At some point, someone had turned on the radio, so she had assumed that they’d chosen to stop talking at that moment. She hadn’t minded. It was safer this way, and it gave her time to drive in peace. She didn’t get to do that often.

They had gotten into the New Orleans borders, and Beatrix had let out a quiet sigh. This was it. They were going to get Klaus and free him, at last, and then get the hell out of there.

She wondered what he’d think when he saw her. Would he be bitter? Calmer? She had been mostly calm after her month with the Strix, but for him, this was five years. Even her time in the prison world wasn’t as terrible as whatever Marcel had put him through. 

She’d driven into the French Quarter and squeezed the steering wheel anxiously. No one would recognize the car, but anyone could be watching her, and someone could recognize her. She tried to ward off negative thoughts and drove calmly to Rousseau’s, parking at the front. 

“This is going to be complicated,” she said loudly, “but you all need to get out fast through my door and go stand on the sidewalk. I’ll just pretend to be leaning on my door and checking my phone. Whoever is the last one out, brush up against me so I know I can close the door.”

Somehow, it worked. She had gotten out and held the door open with her knee, pulling out her phone. She heard distinct ‘whoosh’ noises and at last, someone brushed past. She calmly closed the door and opened the door to Rousseau’s, hearing the whooshing again as they presumably moved in past her, but no one in the vicinity noticed. She saw Josh behind the bar, cleaning some glasses.

He was surprised to see her. “Beatrix,” he said. “Wow— uh… are you popping in to visit?”

She leaned onto the counter and smiled. “Sure. Let’s get everyone out of here, shall we?”

He was perplexed, but didn’t question her. He ducked behind the bar to put the glass away then pretended to gasp loudly. “Oh no,” he said a bit awkwardly. “I think there’s a gas leak— can everyone get out quickly?”

The customers didn’t inquire further. Josh ushered them out quickly and Beatrix let up the cloaking spell as he closed the door. He turned and saw the Mikaelsons and flinched. “What the—”

“I’ll keep it simple,” said Beatrix. “We’re here for Klaus. In, out, half an hour tops, no need to cause a problem. Don’t intend to hurt anyone.”

She faced back and saw that Rebekah was not in the group. Kol shrugged. “We told her she should have tried to tell you first, but she thought it was a good idea to go speak with Marcel.”

The Heretic sighed loudly and put her hand on her forehead. “Alright. Well—” she turned to Josh. “Can you move that freezer unit back there so we can access the tunnels? Pretty please?”

Josh looked conflicted. “Fine, but only because of the ‘pretty please.’”

“Perfect.”

Kol crossed his arms. “Are you absolutely certain we're looking in the right place?”

Freya answered for her. “We know this tunnel runs the length of the city. Marcel must've carved out a section to serve as his personal dungeon, according to what Beatrix had mentioned.”

“Ingenious and sadistic,” mused Elijah. “Well done, Marcel.”

Kol scoffed. “Save the compliments for when he comes to kill us. Your flattery might give him pause.”

Josh clasped his hands together as he walked back in front of them. “Okay, you're all set here. So, uh, good luck, break a leg, and I'll just be on my way.”

“What, so you can rat us out to Marcel?” said Kol sharply. “Not bloody likely.”

Freya sighed. “Oh, just snap his neck. We'll be done by the time he wakes.”

“And if he wakes before that?” Elijah asked.

“Then kill him,” said Kol casually.

“I’m right here, guys,” said Josh awkwardly.

“We’re not killing him,” said Hayley and Beatrix in unison.

“He’s helping us,” said Beatrix. “We’re leaving him in one piece.”

“You’re probably right,” said Elijah. “For some reason, he's of value to Marcel.”

“For some reason?” said Beatrix playfully. “Wow, way to downplay the fact that he’s basically his right hand man. Kol, you don’t look so eager to go on a rescue mission, so do you mind staying behind?”

Kol smirked. “Happy to stay and have a drink and eviscerate anyone who tries to follow you.”

Freya nodded in approval. “Good, then let's go. We're wasting time.”

“Splendid,” said Elijah as Hayley, Freya, and Beatrix slipped into the tunnels. 

Beatrix led the way, at least to where she remembered the cell being, under the Mikaelson Compound. She just didn’t know exactly which tunnel led where. Marcel had known this system, but she had never taken the time to learn. 

But they found him soon enough. There was a small boundary spell that kept them from getting near the cell door, but Beatrix siphoned the boundary off, and Freya snapped her fingers to pop the lock of the cell. Klaus was in a circle of salt, looking weak and disheveled. He was in chains and from the way his shirt was cut, he likely had Papa Tunde’s blade inside of him.

“Niklaus!” cried Elijah as they approached him. “Brother… Niklaus, we’re here…”

He placed his hand against the invisible wall that bounded Klaus inside of the salt circle.

“This spell is strong,” muttered Freya as she examined it. “It's been reinforced over time, which means it's going to take time to break.”

Beatrix patted her fist against it. “I can siphon this, but not as fast as I did the other one.”

“We don’t have time,” Elijah said urgently.

“Well, we could try brute force and overwhelm it,” suggested Freya. “But I’d need someone to channel, and that might taken longer than Beatrix just siphoning.”

Hayley pursed her lips. “Then she’ll siphon. Elijah and I will keep watch. Freya can assist.”

The Heretic nodded and put both hands against the boundary, closing her eyes as she began to siphon. The familiar honey colored glow of her palms illuminated the room, but Klaus did not react. His eyes were open, as though he was seeing something, but not them.

They all perked up at the sound of distant footsteps. Hayley and Elijah shared a look, and Elijah put his hand on Beatrix’s shoulder. “Whatever happens, don’t stop until Niklaus is free.”

She nodded to show she’d heard him as he and Hayley sped away, leaving only Freya, who was murmuring some words under her breath, probably to help weaken the spell so she could siphon it faster.

It was a dreadful few minutes of wait. Beatrix could hear things being knocked around upstairs, and she concentrated harder, thankful this wasn’t dark magic, meaning she wasn’t being affected negatively. This could only strengthen her. 

“Done,” she said at last, swaying as she felt the spell disappear. Both she and Freya lunged to Klaus, but he moved on his own, his arm reaching up and pulling Papa Tunde’s blade out of himself, letting out a cry of pain as he did so. Beatrix bit into her wrist and pressed it against his lips while Freya snatched the blade full out. 

Klaus grunted and grabbed onto her hand, closing his eyes as he drank, careful not to bite in. When he let go, she yanked him to his feet, steadying him as she pulled him out of the salt circle.

“Upstairs,” said Klaus, still weak. “Freya, the blade—”

She handed it to him and grabbed on to Beatrix as she sped them up to where Elijah, Hayley, and Marcel were arguing.

“Stop!” Hayley was saying. “You win, okay? We can't beat you. I'm begging you, let us go.”

“Why?” demanded Marcel. “Why?! Because you think that would be justice for your family? They were my family, too. And Elijah tore my heart out and threw me off a bridge. And his brother just stood by and watched. There is only one justice left—”

Klaus chose that moment to leap forward and thrust Papa Tunde’s blade into Marcel’s chest.

“Niklaus,” breathed Elijah, catching the hybrid as he collapsed. Marcel let out a yell of pain, and the group sped out, back into the tunnels before Marcel could pull the blade out.

Elijah’s phone chimed as they dragged Klaus back the way they’d come. “Rebekah— she says to meet us at one of the tunnel exits in the Bayou.”

“I know where that is,” said Hayley. “Follow me— quickly.”

They moved as fast as they dared, with Freya and Beatrix bringing up the rear in case Marcel was following. They soon emerged from the drainage pipes into the woods, where Rebekah and Kol awaited them.

“Nik!” cried Rebekah, running to him.

“Hey, you can hug him later,” said Freya as they looked up and saw Kol and Rebekah had brought the car. “We need to leave.”

“Marcel’s right behind us,” said Beatrix, looking over her shoulder worriedly. “Go— go!”

“Actually,” came a voice, Marcel now blocking their path to the car. “I’m right here. You shouldn’t have come back— none of you.”

“That’s what family does,” said Hayley sharply. “We fight for each other.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” said Marcel. “Though it didn't really work out for me, did it?”

Kol let out an exasperated groan. “Oh, for God's sake, you were never a Mikaelson, get over it. Don't you have a city to run? Vampires to boot out of town?”

Marcel stepped forward, but both Rebekah and Beatrix blocked his path to the others. “If you want to kill one of us, you’ll have to kill us all,” said Rebekah firmly.

“Don’t push me, Rebekah,” Marcel said coldly.

“Then get on with it!” she challenged. “Let’s end this once and for all!”

Beatrix held her hand up to silence them. “Marcel, we’re not intending to stay. We want to go. Please, I don’t want this to become a problem.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before siding with them,” he said, looking hurt. “I thought you were the one person I could count on.”

“You went about it the wrong way despite my warnings,” she said sternly.

“That’s enough.” Klaus stepped forward. “That’s enough, Marcel— you’ve won. New Orleans was our city once. Now it's yours. For good.”

He looked almost amused. “Is the great Klaus Mikaelson accepting defeat? Or is this all just another distraction?”

Klaus shook his head. “Neither. In fact, despite your appalling behavior, I'm offering you a chance at peace. Attempt to kill us all, and you will be making a mistake. Any who survived would no doubt return to seek revenge, bringing our enemies back to your city in our wake. And even if you did manage to eliminate us all, one day my daughter would come for you. And her daughter after that. On and on for all your days An endless cycle of violence you will bring upon yourself. Or... Or we leave and we never come back.”

Marcel just glared. “After all that time buried in a hole, you still got some nerve. Yeah, well, you stand there with a straight face and try to sell this like it's your choice. But here's the truth. I could kill all of you right now. And tonight I would sleep like a baby. Hell, that's what you would do. You've destroyed more people, taken more lives, ended more families than anyone who's ever lived. All because you can.”

“And you’ve become just like the man you deem to criticize,” spat Beatrix. “Marcel, you preached about shutting them down for what they did, and I supported you, but not when you started acting just like them— wanting destruction and power. _That’s_ why I left. Because I wasn’t going to aid you in taking over and hurting others.”

“You continue to forgive them after how they’ve hurt you,” scoffed Marcel. “The truth is, you’re actually one of them— you’re just as cruel, deep down. But here's the other truth. Despite being raised by you people I am nothing like any of you. In fact, I'm proud as hell I'm not a Mikaelson. I beat you all without turning into you. And now you can live the rest of your lives knowing that the only reason that you exist is because I am showing you mercy. Now go. And don't ever come back.”

Beatrix glared at him as she beckoned for the others to get into the car. She and Marcel remained staring at each other. Neither said anything. At last, she just shook her head in disappointment before going to the car, seeing that Hayley was going to drive them back to the house. 

The Heretic piled into the very back row of seats with Kol and Rebekah, and the unconscious body of Keelin in the back, comfortably sleeping, but still hostage due to Freya’s insistence.

They were calm on the way back to New Orleans. Klaus slept, and Freya stroked his hair, murmuring calming spells to ease his pain. Elijah and Hayley had a quiet conversation in the front, and Kol and Rebekah spoke to Beatrix about how they’d been in Lafayette Cemetery, and some vampires had almost kidnapped Rebekah.

It was dark when they arrived in Texas, and when Hayley parked in front of the safe house, Mary was waiting. She nodded cordially and went to her truck without greeting the Mikaelsons, driving off as they got out of the car.

Kol and Rebekah climbed out immediately with Freya, who had gone to the trunk to drag off Keelin’s body to the nearby shed/barn that was near the house. 

Klaus, now awake, leaned against the car, looking up at the house. 

“What is it?” asked Elijah quietly.

“Five years has never felt so long,” whispered Klaus. “Thank you for not abandoning me.”

“Well, we did consider it,” Rebekah teased. “The vote was rather close.”

Beatrix smirked, and led them in, seeing that Hayley wanted to have a private conversation with Klaus. “Be as quiet as you can,” she told the siblings. “Hope should be asleep by now, and we don’t want to wake her.”

She led them to the kitchen and waved her hand, revealing a concealed cupboard with the bottles of bourbon and tequila. She brought them out, and Kol snatched one up immediately, beginning to drink.

They sat down at the table, and Beatrix made them some toast, bringing out jam and butter for them to put on it as a light snack before they all got to rest. “We’ll get you all a decent meal in the morning,” she promised.

“Thank you,” said Kol, holding up an empty bottle of bourbon for her to take as he bit into the toast. “Mm… with the blood from this morning, this works out well.”

She smirked and went to throw the bottle away, seeing Hayley leading Klaus upstairs. She was happy to know that Hope would finally be getting to meet him. She had always wondered, and Beatrix had shown her plenty of pictures. But Hope was still shy, and she would likely be a bit awkward when it came to the greeting. Beatrix couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how Hope was a perfect little mesh of Hayley and Klaus.

But it seemed Hope hadn’t been woken up to meet Klaus. He and Hayley came back down and had some slices of toast. Hayley took the others upstairs to show them what rooms they could stay in as Beatrix remained in the kitchen to clean up. 

As she made her way up the stairs, Hayley stopped her. “So you know how this house isn’t as big as the Compound?” she said, biting her lip.

“Er, yeah,” said Beatrix, holding onto the railing and looking at her curiously. 

“Well, Rebekah, Freya, and Kol took the three vacant guest rooms— I haven’t cleaned where Mary was staying so we left that one vacant. Elijah, of course, has no problem doubling up with me, and well… I showed Klaus to your room. Hope you don’t mind.”

Beatrix smiled. “No, of course I don’t mind. Thanks for letting me know.”

She went to her room and found Klaus inside, sitting on her bed.

“Hey,” she said gently, shutting the door quietly behind her. “How are you?”

“Better,” he said. “I was wondering if you could show me how your bathroom works here?”

“Sure.” She went to her bathroom and drew him up a bath, having used magic to remodel so that she had a bathtub and a separate shower the way she had at the Compound. Humming, she let the tub fill with warm water, and went to get him a towel and fresh soap and shampoo to use. “Let me get you some clothes, too—”

“That can wait, love, I think I’ll be meditating in here for a bit,” he said, smirking at her. 

“Alright,” she replied. “Well, I’ll wait for you to be done.”

“You could stay. I would like the company.”

Blushing, she nodded, and helped him undress, discarding his clothes, which were worn with age. Obviously, Marcel hadn’t let him bathe or change in a very long time. She aided him in lowering himself into the tub, single he was still a bit shaky. She moved to sit on the back edge of the tub where his head was, sinking her hands a bit into the water and beginning to massage over his shoulder blades, causing him to let out a groan.

“I’ve forgotten how magical your hands are, my little witch,” he grunted, closing his eyes and letting her head lay back.

“I can do spells, like Freya was doing,” she offered. “Soothe any lingering pains.”

He nodded, and they were silent for a moment. “You visited me,” 

She bit her lip. “Yes, I did… I didn’t think you knew I was there.”

“I didn’t, in the moment. But Marcel knew. He told me, not long ago.”

“I would have gotten closer, but I was terrified he’d catch me if I tried to get past all the spells. I was scared he’d torture you, and it’d be my fault, or he’d kill you and I’d ruin our chances of saving everyone.”

He chuckled lightly. “What have you been doing the past five years?” he whispered. 

“Working as a doctor,” she said, rolling her palms lower down his back. “Growing to be a better person. Learning to let go… your daughter’s been helping me improve my drawing and coloring skills. Though, of course, I’m not as good as either of you.”

He brought a hand back and took hers, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it gently. “I am grateful that you have been there for her,” he said. “You seem changed. Are you sure you’re alright, love?”

She sighed. “I… I went through something a year ago. But I’m alright.”

“What was that something?”

“I killed Kai. He… he came back and he tried to hurt those twins I delivered. I tried to offer my help. To help him be a better person. He refused and I had to kill him so that he wouldn’t suffer in a prison world anymore.”

He was quiet for a bit. “I am worse than him,” he mumbled. “I didn’t treat you as well as he did. I own up to that. I was a bloody idiot. I will never be good enough for you, love. You have every right to let me go. To choose someone better. I want the best for you. You deserve it.”

She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against his shoulder. “The difference,” she whispered in his ear, “is that you have consistently tried to change for the better. You own up to the fact that you are bad, but you have worked to become a better man for your little girl. You are capable of redemption. I don’t think you a bad person, Klaus.”

“I have hurt you too many times, love. How can you—?”

“Because I love you,” she said, hugging him from behind. “I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson. You just spent five years captive to protect your family. That is noble and selfless.”

They pulled away only so that he could finish bathing properly. She helped him dry off, and pulled out some clothes for him to wear in the meantime. He took her hand as they exited the bathroom. “The dark magic,” he mumbled. “What happened? I know it hurt you that day.”

“It was killing me,” she admitted, which made his eyes flash dark in concern. “But I expelled it. I’ve bought myself time. But I will be honest… I don’t have much time left, Klaus. Ten years, tops. This wasn’t meant to be my nature.”

He swallowed hard. “I ruined you, Beatrix. I let myself turn you. I hurt you. This is my fault.”

“No, it’s not,” she said, cupping his face. “It’s not your fault I was born through dark magic. That was something neither of us could control. I’m okay. I promise. I’m not fragile. We’re going to make the most of it, aren’t we?”

He sighed and rested his forehead on hers. “Are you sure you’re not hurting?”

“Yes, I’m sure. You needn’t be worried.” 

She tilted her neck up and pressed her lips gently onto his. He kissed back with more force, but then pulled back. “You’re certain?” he panted very lightly. “You’re certain you’re fine?”

“Yes, why do you keep asking? You’re not going to break me.”

He chuckled lowly. “After five years of missing you, I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”

She shrieked in surprise as he pinned her down on the bed.


	59. Chapter 59

**She awoke naked in his arms, with sunlight lingering over them.**

He was caressing her bare back, his chest rising and falling gently beneath her head. He looked pensive, and she gave a soft groan as she craned her head up to look at him. “Good morning,” she whispered.

He smiled down at her. “Good morning, love. It’s still early. I don’t hear Hope awake yet.”

She peered over him at the clock on the other nightstand. “She’ll be up in maybe half an hour. I should get up… it’s my turn to make breakfast today.”

He pulled her back into him when she tried to leave. “There are five other adults in this house, I’m certain one can take your turn, love,” he whispered as he gave her a kiss on the head.

She blushed, even more when he moved to be back on top of her. But there was a snapping sound and her body gave a jolt before sinking down into the mattress. Klaus chuckled and leaned his head onto her shoulder as she looked around in surprise.

“I forgot you’d fallen asleep by the time I realized we’d broken it,” he said, holding her neck as he kissed her lips. “Need to get that fixed…”

“Mmm, or we could just leave it like that,” she said lazily, hands going to caress down his back. “No point in fixing it if you’re just going to break it again.”

“Well, love, you’re not absolved for blame in this situation, are you? You’re just as guilty…”

“No, I’m not…” He kissed down her neck as she finished speaking, making her wiggle a bit beneath him. “Klaus, we should get up.”

“Nonsense, let the others sort out their food, it’s not necessary for us to help. If they cannot fend for themselves, they have another predicament on their hands, love.”

“Is this a test on survival of the fittest, then?”

“Perhaps. It’s been five years. We shall see whether their skills have been diminished or not. If they cannot procure a meal without your help, there will be an intervention.”

She laughed lightly. “An intervention for your siblings? I’m sure they can feed themselves, but we can’t stay in bed for so long.”

He groaned as he moved his mouth down her body. “You never quite minded staying in bed all day in the past—”

There was a knock on the door. “Niklaus,” came Elijah’s voice. “Let that poor woman get some rest.”

Beatrix giggled as Klaus groaned again. “Perhaps if you didn’t listen in everytime, Elijah—”

“With all due respect, brother, none of us wanted to listen in. Freya cast a Silencing Spell the first minute we all heard you in throes. However, it has since worn off and if mine ears do not deceive me, I would be inclined to assume that you intend another round.”

“Why must you speak so proper?” sighed Beatrix as she squirmed out from under Klaus. “We’ll be down soon.”

Klaus growled lowly as he got up with her. “Bloody Elijah always has to meddle where he doesn’t belong…”

“Shh, let’s just go down and eat so you’re nice and alert for when your daughter wakes up. I’d prefer you’re fed and not grumpy when she meets you. She’s a bit sensitive and rather shy.”

“What did you and Hayley say to her about me? Terrible things, I presume.”

Beatrix sighed. “No, we didn’t tell her anything bad. Hayley told her that you’re a hybrid, just like her. That you’re very old, which she understands because of the stories I’ve told her about my past. She’s seven. We haven’t given her any gorey details— we can wait until she’s older for that.”

“Maybe someone disparaged me,” he said. “Perhaps that crone, Mary—”

“Shh, no, she’s shy with everyone, Klaus, even Mary. We haven’t let her hear all those horror stories that are floating around about you. I’ve put up every protective charm and both Hayley and I have refrained from mentioning your history so that she doesn’t get scared. The one thing Hayley conveyed firmly was that you will protect your family, no matter what. You’re her fairy tale prince, and now you have a lot to live up to. So be calm. Collected. Gentle. Go easy on her, she’s been wanting to meet you for a really long time and this is finally the day she gets to do it. She’ll adjust soon enough.”

He nodded as he got some fresh clothes on, which had apparently been left for him on the chair. Possibly by Hayley. “Alright… what are some of the… good things she knows?”

“That you’re a brilliant artist. That you love music and painting. That you’re loyal and strong. She knows that you saved me when I was hurt. That you helped me when I was sick… I refrained from mentioning that it was a mental illness, she wouldn’t understand that very well. That you have been there for me many times when I have been sad. She’s seen me when I was pretty depressed. She’s the sweetest little thing, helped me heal a lot. As long as you approach her casually. Don’t push her to speak if she doesn’t want to. She’ll come around quickly, you’ll see.”

He came closer and wrapped his arms around her as she fixed her hair. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I thanked Hayley last night, for all she’s done to raise her. But you have done a lot as well. And you deserve as much gratitude as I can give to you. Balancing a job and pain in order to provide for the both of them… you are an angel.”

“I’m a demon with a small little halo that pops out when it wants to,” she teased, leaning into him.

“Don’t talk down on yourself, love, you’re a jewel and you know it,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Come on, now, let’s get fully cleaned up and go and see what they are thinking of feeding us…”

After they were ready, they came out to the wrap around porch and found that Elijah and Kol had graciously compelled several servants to come serve them pastries and mimosas to start off their day.

“To be honest, this is better than what I expected,” said Beatrix as she took a bite out of a small croissant.

“Did you think we’d slave away at the stove?” chuckled Rebekah. 

“Oh, certainly. I expected to see you all in aprons, struggling to make pancakes.”

Elijah looked up from the newspaper in his hands. “I could have done that. In fact, I was quite willing, but Kol insisted he didn’t want to wait.”

Kol sighed in exasperation. “It’s not that I don’t want to wait for a properly cooked meal. I just don’t understand why we’re still here in the first place. What’s the holdup?”

Beatrix raised an eyebrow as she started on her second croissant. “What exactly do you mean?”

“We rescued Nik. We escaped mortal danger. So why are we not on a private jet to Saint-Tropez?” He moved toward Elijah and snatched the newspaper out of his hands. “You can catch up on the last five years when we’re on our way— I can assure you, you haven’t missed much.”

Elijah sighed. “Circumstances have changed. We will leave here soon enough.”

“We have our niece to consider,” Rebekah pointed out.

“Kol does have a point,” Freya said. “We need to put an ocean between us and Marcel Gerard as soon as possible.”

“We’re not going anywhere today,” said Klaus firmly as the servant passed around handing more drinks. “I want one day of peace with my daughter before we uproot her.”

Freya looked at him as though she couldn’t actually believe he was considering staying instead of fleeing as soon as possible, considering the torture he’d endured. “Any delay is a risk.”

Klaus immediately got fiery. “One day,” he demanded. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and the house is cloaked thanks to the very underappreciated Heretic in our midst. We weren’t followed, and I’m not asking!”

He had raised his voice towards the end, just as the door opened. Hayley came out with Hope, who was clutching her mother’s hand tightly.

The siblings all fell silent, and came forward as Hope looked up a bit nervously. Klaus stepped in front of her, and she spoke quietly to him, “Hello…” Her eyes darted all around the porch looking at the faces she’d only ever seen in pictures.

“Hello,” said Klaus softly in return. 

Hope tugged a bit at Hayley’s arm. “Mom, can I go play in the garden?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Hayley, caressing her hair as Hope went down the porch stairs and to the garden, where she had her art table set up with some watercolor sets for whenever she decided to try painting.

Klaus looked at Beatrix immediately, and she came forward. “Just go to her in a little bit. She might’ve felt overwhelmed with all the people.”

“She fears me,” he muttered as he looked back over his shoulder to where she was running to pick some flowers, spinning around happily. 

“She doesn’t,” Beatrix assured him. “It’s alright, Klaus, you’re not going to hurt her. Maybe wait until she sits down to paint and go with her.”

“We can talk to her,” offered Hayley reassuringly. “Just see what she’s thinking. She’s not scared of you, Klaus, she doesn’t know the things that would make her feel that way.”

Klaus looked back and saw that Hope had gone to her table now, and was setting up her paints. “No. I will… go to her now.”

He walked off, and the other siblings dispersed. Beatrix saw Kol go in, and Freya headed off to the shed holding Keelin. Elijah gestured for Hayley to come with him, and Beatrix and Rebekah were left alone.

“Well, I’d very much prefer to go in and get some wine,” said Rebekah, holding out her empty glass. “Join me?”

“Sure,” said Beatrix with a smile. She wove her hands to the side to clean up the residue of their breakfast before following Rebekah inside. 

They found that Kol had already grabbed one of the servants and was fondling her breasts as he fed from her neck.

“Here you are,” chirped Rebekah. “Wherever there are booze and boobs.”

Kol looked annoyed. “eah, I came in here to have a quiet bite alone, thank you very much.”

Rebekah shrugged as she dug into the hidden cabinet. “Well, go and be alone somewhere else, because I have some thinking to do, and I would like to do it near the expensive wine.”

Kol rolled his eyes. “After five years of being trapped in a house together, here we are— trapped in a house together.”

Rebekah filled her glass halfway with wine before answering. “Well, at least this one doesn’t have imaginary blood.” She bit into the hand of the servant and held her wrist above the glass to drip blood in alongside the wine.

Kol wiped his mouth and came closer to Beatrix, patting her shoulder as he passed her and got himself a glass too. “It's not normal. Living in each other's pockets for a thousand years. Paranoia, betrayal, violence, repeat.”

“Well, we're undead, so if it's normal you're after, I don't fancy your chances,” said Rebekah. “And why the sudden melancholy? Did you expect to break out of the Chambre de Chasse and into a family cured of dysfunction?”

Kol shook his head. “No. I knew perfectly well that that was too much to hope for. When we were in there, it felt like the world had stopped. But it didn’t. It kept turning, and Beatrix, Hayley, and Hope continued to live, without us. And especially without Davina.” He held up his glass, now filled with wine. “You know, she would have been twenty three today. And I wonder what she would have done with the time. She would have made the world a better place. Meanwhile… we’re here, breathing. And what are we doing?”

“Paranoia, betrayal, violence, repeat,” murmured Rebekah as she took a small sip. She then looked up. “You’ve given me an idea. I must speak to Elijah.”

She departed, leaving Kol and Beatrix alone.

“I miss her,” said Beatrix softly. 

“I do, too,” answered Kol. “And I can’t help but feel terrible knowing it’s all my fault. I killed her. I couldn’t resist the Ancestors. I should have told you or someone the truth about what was going on, but I kept quiet, and she died. And then, I should have been there to defend her from Freya and Elijah. We can’t get her back now, Trix. We’d need some seriously dark magic and that’s not something I would encourage anyone to dabble into, not even you.”

“We can find a way that doesn’t involve dark magic,” Beatrix told him. “You two had a real connection. She made you better and she deserves to live again. I want to see you happy. We’ll figure something out.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think it’ll be possible. I want to find a way, I do. But I don’t know if I want to spend my life searching, just to be disappointed when nothing turns up. They really mucked it up. And it could all come with a catch.”

She put her hand on his arm. “Kol, you are free to explore and be free. You don’t have to force yourself to stay here or be in a mindset that brings you pain. Davina would have wanted you to be happy. You are brilliant and if there is a way, you will find it, but it won’t come to you until you have peace of mind. You have forever to bring her back, even if it takes a while. I believe in you.”

Kol half-smiled. “You’re the only reason I ever tolerate my siblings, you know? You calm them down. Keep them from being dicks to me. Every bloody time they were cruel to me, you stood up for me, and you have always fought at my side. What would I do without you, Trix?”

“You’d be miserable,” she said playfully. “And what would I do without you?”

“You’d be miserable, too,” he teased, nudging her. “I think… I will go off on my own. After all, I can’t really offer my niece much protection and I’m not exactly the most loved here. I think, in time, I can come back.”

“Good,” said Beatrix, patting his back. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. I suppose the next one that needs to make a decision is Bex.”

“She wants her little family,” chuckled Kol. “She actually likes the idea of kids. I really don’t. I mean, the last time I held one without wanting to punt it across the room was when Henrik was born.”

Beatrix giggled. “Aw, yes, I remember in Arabia, that woman went into labor and I offered my help—”

“You dragged me with you, I recall—”

“Well, yes, because otherwise you’d have gotten lost somewhere, but I remember you—” she stopped and laughed, “you immediately jumped back when I showed you the baby, and the woman was quite confused, she thought you were startled because of the blood. In reality, you—”

“—couldn’t stand the crying,” he finished. “Yes, it’s one of the most obnoxious noises ever. I’m too impatient to be a parent.”

“I thought I would be, too, but helping to raise Marcel and Hope has shown me that I am pretty good at it once I focus. It’s easier, of course, since I met the two when they didn’t cry so much.”

“I can’t imagine you having to change diapers by yourself.”

“Ah, I can use magic for that, so it wouldn’t be very difficult.”

“I bet you’d let the kid cry, too, with a Silencing Spell.”

Beatrix smirked and shrugged. “The point is, Kol, you and Rebekah are free to do as you please and I hope that you both take that opportunity. You deserve it.”

He smiled and finished the rest of his wine. “Thanks, Trix.”

She left him alone after that, suspecting he wanted more alone time with his still compelled servant, and occupied herself cleaning the house and humming to herself. Later in the evening, she went out to the back shed, finding Freya preparing some herbal mixture for Keelin, who was still trapped.

“Why hasn’t she been let go?” inquired Beatrix. “I can multiply her venom. It’ll take more power but it’s doable.”

Freya shook her head. “This is a necessary evil, not a punishment. She’ll be fine.”

Keelin scoffed lightly. “Most people who do evil convince themselves it’s necessary.”

Freya just remained silent and went to put the mixture in the form of paste on the woman’s arms, which made her flinch. “Relax. It's for your wounds. You're a wolf. Why aren't you healing?”

Keelin looked up at the two women. “I dated an orthopedic surgeon. One morning, I'm trying to impress her on a hike and I take a spill. Broke my ankle, double compound fracture. And she was all about helping me rehab until the next day, she saw that I was good as new. She freaked. Being a medical anomaly can suck.”

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. “Tell me about it. I had to compel way too many nurses in the 1900’s to ignore inexplicable things when supernatural patients came in. Did you have a witch slow your healing process?”

Keelin shook her head. “No. I swiped a badge, accessed the path lab. Used my tissue sample to analyze the chemotaxis of my body's enzymes…”

“Oh, wow, you completely rewired your enzymatic motility, then,” mused Beatrix. “That’s impressive.”

Freya looked confused, and Keelin addressed this. “Look, even a monster is still a biological organism. Exposed to the right chemicals, it can be weakened or strengthened, so I devised a treatment to help suppress my werewolf traits. It wasn't magic, it was medicine.”

“And that, my lovely Freya, is why Kol was so insistent on me learning _Kemiya_ ,” said Beatrix. “Magic with chemistry. Forms a very important basis for modern medicine, even though most don't realize that it’s actually Arabian Magic.”

Freya hummed. “That does give me a bit of an idea…” She shook her head. “I’ll ponder on it later.”

They both stopped, hearing voices outside. Beatrix smiled. “I think I hear Hope and Klaus…” she moved to Keelin and put her hand on her forehead, murmuring a quick spell to suppress her pain. “I’ll return later, alright?”

She left and found that Hope had taken Klaus inside and had planted her entire art folder into his lap for him to observe while she went up to play in her room.

“I see she’s shown you her portfolio,” said Beatrix as she came in, seeing Klaus was grinning down at the drawings and paintings that his daughter had made.

“She’s an art prodigy,” he mused, looking up as Rebekah entered the room behind Beatrix.

“She’s far better than you ever were,” teased Rebekah. “Granted, the bar is very low.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “True art is lost on the feeble-minded. Beatrix seems to be the only one who ever had the same taste in art.”

Rebekah shrugged. “Well… Kol wanted me to say goodbye, to the two of you. He’ll return, when he’s ready.”

Klaus sighed. “He always was a selfish git.”

“Hey,” said Beatrix sternly. “He died twice and was trapped for five years in a Chambre de Chasse.”

Rebekah stepped forward and took Klaus’s hands. “Nik,” she said gently. “I agree with him. I have that same wanderlust. You… do not need me anymore. I know that I'm your favorite sibling, and of course I adore you. But there's space in my heart for something more. I want love. I want a family of my own. And wouldn't it be nice if we could part on happy terms for once? No daggers, no exile. Just so long for now. I'll see you again soon.”

Klaus seemed shocked to hear that she was leaving too, but he didn’t react as harshly as Beatrix expected him to. He squeezed Rebekah’s hands in return and whispered back to her, “You were the only one who never treated me like a misfit. For centuries, my only place was by your side. And now I belong beside my daughter. And I suppose you deserve to find your place in the world as well.”

“Thank you,” said Rebekah, pulling him into a hug. She then hugged Beatrix, rubbing her back. “I will miss you both very much.”

“Take care of yourself, Bex, and tell Kol goodbye, too,” said Beatrix. “Once you find yourself ready to settle down, give me a call, alright? I’m pretty sure I can work out some spells to help you have your family.”

Rebekah nodded and ruffled her hair before leaving. Klaus pulled Beatrix by the hem of her pants to sit down across from him. “Another typical day,” he mused. “Kol off being adventurous. Rebekah pursuing family of her own. Elijah and Hayley, having their fun. And my daughter here, a professional artist already.”

Beatrix nudged him with her leg. “She does take after you.”

“With some practice and mentoring, I can imagine how good she’ll become. She’ll be my superior at art, in every way.”

“Just be patient when you’re teaching her, alright? Don’t—”

But they both stopped as he flipped onto a particular drawing of a strange sort of dragon biting its tail. Klaus looked at the next page, then the next, and the next, but the next twenty drawings were all of the same dragon, done in different colors, but mostly in frantic scribbles, as though it came from a vision.

“That looks strangely familiar,” mumbled Beatrix. “But I can’t remember from where…”

“Dad?”

They both turned to see Hope, who looked scared. “I-I fell asleep,” she said softly. “And I had a dream about a bad man…” Klaus got up and went to kneel in front of her, holding her arms. She was shaking. “He was hurting these kids,” Hope continued, “and I think… he hurt me, too. I feel dizzy, and my head hurts…”

Her nose began to bleed. “Hayley!” yelled Beatrix as she came forward and pressed her hand gently on her head. 

Hayley and Elijah came running, and Hope shivered. “Mom, I’m so cold,” she whispered as Hayley knelt before her beside Klaus and hugged her.

“Get her on the couch, now, and call Freya,” said Beatrix to Elijah, who nodded and sped away as Klaus picked the girl up and set her down gently on the couch, propping her head up against Hayley’s lap. Beatrix took the girl’s hands and began to hum, closing her eyes to try and sense what was wrong with her.

“She’s never been sick, ever,” said Hayley shakily as Elijah brought in Freya.

“This is a magical affliction,” Beatrix said, handing Hope’s hands to Freya. “The feeling…”

“It’s cold,” Freya murmured as she took her niece’s palms. “It’s… hard to explain aside from that.”

Hayley looked at Beatrix. “What aren’t you saying?”

She hesitated, but spoke. “This… is exactly what it feels like when dark magic is taking over your body,” she said quietly. “This is the same empty feeling. I can try and siphon it, to lessen the pain. I think I should be able to take most of it up, I don’t think it’s a lot…”

But it was. She put her hands on Hope’s shoulders and began to siphon, and immediately began to wince. She ignored the obvious shuffling of those around her, wondering if they should stop her.

“Beatrix, stop it,” Klaus said after the first twenty seconds when he saw she wouldn’t cease wincing. “Stop—”

“No, I’m fine,” she answered, but her voice was shaky. She could feel a pain building up in her gut. This magic was far darker than what she’d expected before beginning to siphon. 

Hope let out a whimper of discomfort at the feeling of the magic being taken out, and Klaus yanked Beatrix off immediately, causing her to cry out and grab onto her side. Klaus pulled up her other arm and tore back her sleeve, his eyes widening when he saw the blackened veins already spreading down to her fingertips.

“What is this?” he demanded in a deadly whisper. “What’s inside of my daughter?”

“I-I don’t know,” Beatrix said shakily as she tried to catch her breath. “But it’s really dark….”

Hayley suddenly reached into her pocket and extracted a small piece of paper. Furrowing her eyebrows, she unfolded it. “It’s from Vincent Griffith. He knows what’s wrong with Hope— he can cure her. And he said he can cure Beatrix too, if she tried to siphon it…” she then stopped, and looked up at the others. “But we have to go back to New Orleans.”


	60. Chapter 60

**They arrived in New Orleans out of breath and frantic.**

“Our home,” huffed Klaus as they hurried into the Compound. He was holding Beatrix steady, who was breathing quite slowly. “Once the pride of our family, now a flophouse.”

“Indeed, the mighty have fallen,” said Elijah as Hayley brushed past, carrying Hope. “Where’s Vincent?”

He emerged from behind one of the pillars. “Right here. Kept my word. Now the only question is whether or not you guys are gonna keep yours. As soon as I'm finished healing Beatrix and your kid, you got to leave the city.”

Klaus sneered as he eased Beatrix gently into one of the broken chairs. “Well, we're not gonna stay, are we? Your city has lost its charm.”

Hayley glared at Klaus. “What he means to say is that we're very grateful, just help them and we'll leave.”

Elijah cast Vincent a tight-lipped smile. “Just give us what we need, and we will do so, happily.”

He went to Hope first. Beatrix could barely see him, her body feeling weak. He leaned over the little girl and began to chant, “ _Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a.”_

Hope’s eyes shot open, and she looked around, registering where she was. “Mom?” Hayley approached her quickly, cupping her face gently.

“That’s it,” said Vincent as he made his way over to Beatrix. “Your little girl’s purified. Now, your turn.”

He put his hand on her forehead, and she let out a soft breath. He began to chant once again, “ _Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a.”_

Beatrix felt like an entire twenty pounds of weight had been lifted from her body. She was able to sit up, and she didn’t feel dizzy. 

“Thank you,” she heard Klaus say as Elijah came forward and offered Beatrix his arm to help her up.

“Now look, the only gratitude I need from any of you is seeing you leave the city,” Vincent said as Hayley helped Hope up too. “Go see your daddy,” she told her. Hope began to walk to Klaus, but suddenly, a crow dropped dead in front of her. She stumbled back as all around, dead crows began to fall. Hayley ran to Hope, hugging her tightly and almost trying to shield her vision as the birds continued to fall, creating a circle all the way around Hope.

“What is this?” asked Klaus in a deadly voice when the plopping sound of bird bodies falling to the ground stopped. 

Vincent and Beatrix shared a concerned look. “I don’t know,” Vincent admitted.

Hope looked a bit confused, but not because of the birds. “Mom?” she murmured. “Can you hear that? It’s… whispers. Saying a name. Over and over…” she looked at Hayley as she put her hands on her shoulders. “Kre Nah Han. Kre Nah Han.”

At this, Vincent and Beatrix looked at each other again. “No,” whispered Beatrix. “I had only ever heard legends of that…”

“What is that?” Hayley asked, looking up, alarmed. 

“It's a nearly forgotten dialect,” answered Vincent gravely. “It's Creole. It means ‘the Hollow.’ The Hollow is coming.” He looked up at Beatrix. “You and I need to talk.”

“I’ll take Hope to lay down somewhere,” said Hayley, scooping her up. The little girl looked tired, and still a bit dazed.

Beatrix released Elijah’s arm and followed after Vincent, who led her into one of the other rooms. Not exactly private, since the other three could easily hear them. Silently, Beatrix wove her hand and put up a spell to block out any prying ears.

“How do you know about the Hollow?” asked Vincent immediately. 

“I heard of it when I was traveling,” said Beatrix. “I knew I’d seen that serpent or dragon thing eating its tail somewhere before. It’s… it’s something I learned about in South America.”

“South America?” he asked. “This— this spirit is older than the Mikaelsons. How would you know of it, unless it spoke to you?”

“When I was digging up my Mayan roots. They knew of it. That same magic that was used to give the Hollow power when her mother was pregnant with her— that’s the same dark magic I was born with, Vincent. That Ancient magic that comes from Mayan, Aztec, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Nordic, and other types of gods and goddesses. It was different for me because I was cursed to be born a siphon instead. In her, it manifested as psychopathy. I learned about how dark the magic was, and how it affects others. I bet it had something to do with these violent rituals that happened in 1953.”

“It happened again in 1992,” said Vincent. “Here, in Algiers, Tremé, Marigny, and the Bayou. I… I will tell you more about it soon. I promise.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, I will definitely try not to siphon anymore, so that it can't get a foothold.”

Vincent shook his head. “This thing can infect people without direct contact. You’ll be more susceptible to it. It will want you or Hope as a host body, I know that already. She’s the most powerful witch born recently. You? You’re the perfect body for the Hollow. It can take over and the darkness won't destroy your body ever again. But it will destroy you. Right now, it’s imperative that you force anything away. Don’t give in, no matter how much pain you’re in.”

Beatrix bit her lip and clasped her hands together. An idea came to mind, and she was glad to have put up a Silencing Spell. “Can we make a deal?” she said softly.

He looked confused. “A deal?”

“You will tell me everything you know, at some point. In turn, I will help you however you need, no questions asked. But if push comes to shove… if there is a way I can be used to destroy it, I need you to do it.”

Vincent faltered. “Are you… are you suggesting…?”

She let out a soft sigh. “I know in my heart that I don’t have much time left. The others… they’ll never want that. But I need you to promise me, Vincent, that if something can be done to save my niece and other kids… if it involves me dying… then I need it to happen.”

“Why are you offering this? Why— why wouldn’t you rather live?”

“I already am decaying. I wouldn’t have much longer anyway. And I think it’s the right thing to do. So just… if anything. Keep it in mind, will you?”

He swallowed hard. “Alright. Alright. Listen, I need to speak to my witches. We will think of whatever we can do aside from that. We need to save those kids. But… I will keep that in mind, I promise.”

She took his hand and patted the back of it. “I need you to keep this secret. I promise I will help in any way. As long as you do this for me. I think… it will need to happen. This thing will only gain power from here.”

Vincent brought up their clasped hands and kissed her knuckles gently. “They always told us about you, you know?” he murmured. “They always talked about you in Tremé. Those witches who raised you in the Bayou became part of that Coven. I never liked the idea of a Heretic. I thought you hybrids were all pure evil. They told us you abandoned them and disappeared. That you went on to be a monster after you returned to side with the Mikaelsons. But this right now? And knowing what you’ve been through? That’s the most selfless thing I’ve heard anyone propose. It is an honor to know you, Beatrix La Salle.”

She offered him a smile. “It feels like the right thing. If worst comes to worse, right? I don’t want to end up in Hell. Now, you go on ahead to your witches. I need to check up on my niece.”

They parted ways, and Beatrix was immediately ambushed by Elijah and Klaus, who had been talking.

“What’s the witch got to say?” Klaus demanded.

“Witch business, darling, you wouldn’t get it,” said Beatrix gently, patting his cheek. “We’re figuring things out.”

She looked up as Hayley came back downstairs, rubbing her arms. “She’s sleeping now. I think we should all try to get some rest.”

“I can fix up our rooms,” offered Beatrix. “Do the best I can, anyway…”

“Just fix up one room,” Hayley suggested. “Two beds, I’m sure we don’t mind doubling up. This is temporary, and there’s no sense in fixing up everything.”

And that’s what Beatrix did. She fixed up her room, which was nearest to where Hope was staying. Elijah and Hayley took one of the beds she set up, and she and Klaus took the other one. They were all tired, but all struggled to fall asleep. Hayley and Klaus kept getting up to check on Hope. Beatrix would go whenever the two were back in the room at the same time. Then Elijah took a turn. They were all worried sick about Hope, who for now, seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but was breathing heavily as though she was actually having nightmares.

Morning came, and no one had slept a wink. Beatrix occupied herself going out to get some food, and returned to Klaus and Elijah once again having been holding a conversation, which didn’t appear to have ended well. She didn’t get to inquire further, because Hayley came to join them at that moment.

“How is she?” asked Klaus immediately. 

“The fever’s back,” Hayley sighed. “But she’s not in any pain. She’s asking for you.”

“Well, make an excuse,” said Klaus. “I'd rather my daughter not know I've gone off to murder witches.”

Elijah glared at him. “We cannot be reckless, Niklaus.”

Klaus threw his hands in the air. “And how would you have me respond? Should I delegate my child's safety to someone else?”

“We’ll figure things out,” said Beatrix. “I think I should go check out the witches myself. Vincent and I still have much to discuss.”

“I can assist you,” offered Elijah. “We’ll see what we can do.”

“And I will handle Marcel,” said Hayley. “Whatever we're up against, it's as much his problem as is it ours.”

Klaus frowned. “Leaving me to do what, exactly?”

Hayley looked at him as though saying, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ “Stay here and protect our daughter. Do not let anything or anyone near her.”

Elijah held a finger up to her before she could leave. “A word of warning. The Marcel that you knew is gone. So, whatever he is now, he's no ally.”

“I’ll be fine, Elijah,” said Hayley before speeding out. 

Beatrix put her hands on Klaus’s shoulders. “Stay here. Be there for your little girl. We’ll be fine.”

Klaus didn’t seem concerned at all about their safety. Whatever conversation he and Elijah had had last night and this morning, it had clearly left them both looking sore, because they seemed tense. He cast his brother a look before walking away.

“Should I dare to ask what’s wrong?” asked Beatrix boredly.

“Neither of us would tell you anyway,” said Elijah, offering her his arm. Rolling her eyes, she took it, and he sped them to St. Anne’s Church, where the witches were gathered listening to Vincent. 

“Look, guys,” he was saying. “I know what we're up against. There's a faction of our own people, witches. They've started to make human sacrifices to a spirit called the Hollow. Now, this thing is dark, it's angry, it's very powerful.”

Elijah chose to make his grand entrance there, earning him and Beatrix several shocked looks. “It is a force my family and I are here to erase. Now, kindly excuse us, please. Mr. Griffith and I have much to discuss.”

Vincent looked annoyed, but let out a breath to calm himself. “Okay, uh, give me a minute.”

The witches dispersed, and Elijah adjusted the buttons of his shirt. “So, now that we've dispensed with the needless hysteria…”

Vincent held his hands up. “I got a lot on my plate, Elijah, without whatever trouble you're trying to bring my way. I have no problem working things out with Beatrix. She’s a witch. You, however…”

“You need me,” said Elijah pointedly. “And fortunately, I have a long history of removing anything undesirable from New Orleans.”

“I'm probably one of the things that's on your list,” said Vincent. “So I reckon it's best for me work alone.”

“Oh, it's not an offer,” replied Elijah. “Children's lives are at risk.”

This ticked Vincent off. “You care about children's lives at risk?” he said loudly. “What about Davina Claire, Elijah?”

Elijah raised an eyebrow. “So, you can only see me as some kind of merciless butcher.”

“Yes, I do,” said Vincent. “Beatrix here— she did everything to help Davina. You? You let that girl be erased.”

“I'll be whatever you want me to be, Vincent Griffith,” said Elijah. “I'll be the very devil himself, but make no mistake, I would violate everything sacred under the sun in the name of rescuing my niece. And right now, according to you, you are facing two evils. Wouldn't it be nice to have one of those by your side?”

Vincent sighed loudly. “Fine. But we're gonna do this my way.”

“Good, thank you,” said Beatrix quickly. “We can wait for you here while you prepare anything that’s necessary.”

Vincent nodded and walked off, and Elijah took a seat at one of the nearby pews. “I have not spoken to you yet, Itza,” he said quietly. “And for that, I apologize.”

She didn’t look at him. “Well, speak.”

“You have not spoken to me the way you used to, and I do not blame you. I would have done the same thing. What I did was wrong. I betrayed you. I left Davina in danger. I killed Marcel. And I will never be able to forget that. I will always feel that guilt. I do not ask your forgiveness. All I ask is that you listen.

“The only person who knows my dark side is you. I have not shown it to Hayley. I do not think she could handle it. You know how selfish I can be. How violent. I have no excuse for how I acted. But the one thing I am sure you will understand is that I am profoundly sorry. I should have found another way. I claim to have done it all for the sake of my family but you are our family, Itza. You. Marcel. Davina. I betrayed the part of my family that was added in, and that was incredibly unfair. I should have never done it. And I will never be able to take it back. But I hope that you will know that I feel regret, guilt, pain, and sadness, knowing I have hurt you this way. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I have caused you far too much pain. You deserve much better. And I am sorry for all that I have done. For being an indecisive man. For being rash and egocentric. I apologize, Itza. I should have never forsaken you that way.”

She let out a shaky sigh when he stopped speaking. “All I ask, Elijah,” she said quietly, “is that you treat Hayley better. She deserves so much. She is amazing. I appreciate you apologizing when unprompted. I can’t forgive you, yet. But I can work with you. We’re in this for Hope.”

“You have always been part of our family, Itza,” he said, standing up and coming beside her. “Don’t forget that. I should do a better job of showing it. We owe you so much of our joy. Of our prolonged life. I am blessed to have someone like you, who has understood me more than anyone and given me a chance to be better. I am not perfect. I am learning. And I am grateful to have you as my soulmate.”

She turned to face him, furrowing her brows. “Elijah—”

“I firmly believe we are soulmates, Itza. Be it as friends or partners. You have taught me the important lessons that help me to improve. I will always be indebted to you for that. You are my best friend, whether you think of me in the same way or not. And it pains me to be conscious of how much harm I’ve caused you. I am not worthy of your forgiveness now. But I hope that one day, I will be. We have a connection unlike anything else. And I will make it up to you.”

Vincent returned at that moment, and Beatrix was saved from having to answer. Elijah acted calmly as Vincent beckoned them upstairs to the balcony, where he had a table set up. He set down an old urn.

“And who might that be?” asked Beatrix softly, her voice wavering. It felt like she’d forgotten how to speak.

“These are the ashes of a witch that lost his way,” said Vincent, “and it might just be the key to helping us find ours. The Hollow’s magic has a very unique signature. I felt it on this witch the other day when Marcel and I took him out, so if I can trace that energy back to its source…”

“You can find the rest of these fanatics,” finished Elijah. “So this thing which haunts my niece, has it spoken to you?”

“It's more like, um, a broadcast,” answered Vincent. “And I was able to shut it out, but a lot of people have a harder time doing that.”

“Like your wife?” asked Elijah quietly.

Vincent nodded. “You know, there's a difference between what we project and what we have inside of our hearts— what we try to hide inside of our hearts, right? Now that thing, it took everything that's dark and twisted inside of me and it used it against me. It used it again my wife and it ended up taking everything that I've ever loved away from me. But let's say that we run into that thing today. It's gonna take everything that you want to keep buried, it's going to use that and make you do exactly what it wants you to do. And that's what makes you both a liability to the very niece that we're both trying to protect. Beatrix is in danger, too. But she and I have already discussed the dangers, she knows that she has to fight it.”

Elijah nodded a bit skeptically. “Let’s get to work, then.”

Vincent lit a strip of sage and began to chant over the ashes. _“Chèche le virtute, Chèche le virtute, Chèche le virtute, Chèche le virtute.”_

He let out a gasp, his eyes wide. Elijah moved forward, but Beatrix caught his wrist. “He has to see it himself, no interruptions.”

At that moment, the witch stopped gasping. “What did you see?” asked Beatrix immediately.

“Nothing good,” Vincent said after a second of catching his breath. “They got him… they got Will.”

“Kinney?” asked the Heretic. “The detective?”

“Yep,” said Vincent gravely. He pulled out his phone. “I’ll get him to meet me at the St. James Infirmary. We’ll see if we can get him out of this mindset. You two, stay in the shadows. I don’t want him to see you.”

He gave no other instruction, and the two were left with the task of following him.

Will arrived not long after they did. Elijah and Beatrix remained hidden in plain sight, with an Invisibility Spell. But things got ugly rather quickly, and it broke Beatrix’s heart to see that he had been completely corrupted.

“Weird time to have a drink, bud,” Will had said when he arrived. “Should be out looking for those kids.”

Vincent looked up at him from the bar. “Yeah. I'm a little upside-down, Will. I got this, um, evil mojo just breathing down my back. And it's the same thing that took out my wife then it took me out and now I think it's trying to take out my best friend.”

Will immediately got defensive, which was expected. He held his gun up and pointed it at Vincent. “Was this your plan, Vince? Invite me here, confront me?”

Vincent held his hands up in surrender. “Whatever this thing promised you, it's not gonna deliver.”

“You’re wrong,” Will snapped. “The Hollow rewards those who are loyal. Maybe if you did what it asked you to do, things might be different. For me. For Cami. For all of us.”

“Is that what it told you, Will?”

“That’s what it showed me, Vince. Look at this city! It's overrun with evil. And the only way to take it back is to do one little evil thing myself.”

“This is not what you are!” Vincent pleaded. “You can walk away from this. I can help you walk away from this.”

“You can't help me,” Will said sharply. “You can't even help yourself. Don't you see? You're in the middle of everything that's to come. Which is why they sent me here, Vince. For you.”

He fired his gun, but Elijah dove forward, blocking the bullets, and breaking the Invisibility Spell. Beatrix flicked her wrist and sent the gun flying out of Will’s hands. Elijah sped forward and threw him over the counter, before pinning him on the ground.

“That's quite the monster you got lurking in there,” said Elijah lowly. “You want to see mine?”

“Let’s not get playful,” said Beatrix, pulling over a chair. She wove both hands in a zigzag motion, and Will’s body was flung into the chair, strapped down with magical bindings. Elijah stood and put his hand against Will’s temple, trying to see into his mind, but was unable to break in.

“Alright,” said Vincent once he realized it didn’t work. “Someone cast a spell to block his mind against your vampire tricks, all right? I can break that, Elijah, it's just gonna take me a little bit of time.”

“That’s a luxury we don’t have,” said Elijah. “Beatrix, can you—?”

“She is not going to siphon it,” said Vincent instantly. “And I’m not letting you torture him. He’s my friend and he’s just as much of a victim as all those kids.”

“You have five minutes,” Elijah said as he moved to sit down at a nearby table, bringing out his pocket watch.

Beatrix sighed and came over to Vincent. “What are we doing, then?”

“Just let me channel you,” he told her. “I don’t have the time to go over pronunciation.”

“If the Tremé witches are indeed related to the ones who raised me, you won’t have to do that.”

He conceded. “Fine. Mimic me.” He began to make very specific motions with his hand, and she imitated him. _“Briser le bouclier. Briser le bouclier—”_

Will began to yell out in agony, but they could not stop chanting. _“Briser le bouclier. Briser le bouclier. Marquer nom sa à. Marquer nom sa à. Briser le bouclier. Briser le bouclier—”_

It was the most agonizing five minutes of Beatrix’s life. She’d had terribly tense moments with patients, but they eventually came around. Will wasn’t cracking. He kept screaming and thrashing to no avail. 

“Time’s up,” said Elijah.

“Hold on, Elijah!” said Vincent impatiently.

“Why do you insist?” demanded Elijah.

“Because he’s my friend!” snapped Vincent. “And because a witch told me that I'm the one that gave this thing breath. Now I don't know what I did to let it into this world, but I know I ain't just gonna let it take him out.”

Elijah glared. “Finish it.”

Vicnent and Beatrix shared a look before continuing. _“Marquer nom sa à. Marquer nom sa à—”_

But suddenly, Will was no longer tied down. The magical binds disappeared, and he brought out a talisman with the symbol of the Hollow, thrusting it in Beatrix’s direction and sending her flying back, landing painfully hard against the wall. She tried to get up, but immediately felt a sharp pain in her side, and crumpled back down. Will held the talisman up and threw Elijah back before he could be subdued again.

“There’s no going back, Vince,” Will said darkly before tossing him back as well, and leaving quickly.

It took a few seconds for them to get back their bearings. Beatrix groaned as she tried to get back up, still feeling her legs were like jelly. Elijah came to her side and pulled her to her feet, glaring at Vincent. “Any other wonderful ideas?”

“That spell tagged him with our magic, so now we can trace him,” said Vincent, rubbing his back, which was probably bruised. “Right back to the kids. Are you alright, Beatrix?”

She nodded slowly. “I think—” She hissed and grabbed her side again, nearly sinking back down. Elijah pulled her to sit down, and she let out a whimper of discomfort. Looking down at her arm, she pulled up her sleeve.

Her veins were blackened all over again.


	61. Chapter 61

**Vincent immediately began the spell to cleanse her.**

“Lay her down,” he told Elijah, who pulled her body down. Vincent put one hand on her forehead before beginning to chant, ““ _Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a.”_

Beatrix let out a loud gasp as she sat back up. “Why the hell does this keep happening to her?” demanded Elijah as he pulled her back to a chair. 

“Besides your niece, she’s one of the most powerful witches to be born here in New Orleans,” Vincent said, handing Beatrix some bourbon to drink. “Her magic is strong on this soil and it makes her the perfect target. The problem is that after all this time, Beatrix’s body is affected more easily by dark magic.”

“What can we do, then?” asked Elijah. “How do we keep it from affecting her?”

Beatrix waved him off, casting Vincent a look. “Let’s talk about this later. Will is going to get a headstart. We need to beat him.”

“You’re right,” Vincent said helpfully. “We can track where he’s been before and where he’s headed now. Beat him there.”

The Heretic reached out, withdrawing a very old map of New Orleans. “This is from the early 1900s but it should still be good. The general area is still the same.”

Vincent took the map and went to lay it on the bar. “Are you certain you feel well?” asked Elijah, kneeling in front of her. “You still look pale.”

“I’m fine,” she said casually. “Perfectly fine.”

“We should ask Freya about any spells to shield—”

She interrupted him immediately. “I’m fine. I was able to pull something that I’ve vanished, so that should let you know I’m fine. That realm is something I can only access when I am strong. So obviously, I’m alright.”

“But Itza—”

“Seriously, Elijah, I’m perfectly okay,” she insisted, getting to her feet. She did indeed feel fine, but she still wanted to avoid any conversation that might clue him into her proposition of sacrificing herself in the future, if it came down to that.

“I have a read on the location,” said Vincent loudly, coming back over with the map. “In the woods— I know which trail we can take. This right here is the spot where it ends…” he beckoned to a clearing in the Bayou. “The others can meet us there.”

Elijah nodded and brought out his phone to text Klaus and Hayley. “Let us not waste time, then,” he said once he’d notified the other two. “I can take us all there as quickly as necessary.”

Vincent didn’t seem to be thrilled with the idea, but he and Beatrix held onto Elijah’s arms, and the Original sped them to the clearing. They had to walk only a short distance before finding a shape hanging from the trees. It was several wooden sticks tied together with cloth, sort of like a dreamcatcher, but the budget version. Beatrix could sense the dark aura around it. They were in the right place.

“I assume you told everybody to be on their best behavior?” asked Vincent expectantly as they looked toward the depths of the woods.

“Oh, I told them,” said Elijah, looking around for the others.. “Now whether or not they'll be obedient is another thing altogether.”

They had to wait only about a minute before Klaus strode up.

“Where’s Hope?” asked Beatrix.

“Freya’s with her now,” said Klaus. “She's fighting it. Whatever it is.”

Vincent gave him a reassuring look. “The kids are attached to that spell: if we save the kids, we save your little girl.”

“And the sooner you all can be on your way,” came the familiar voice of Marcel as he and Hayley came in through the other side of woods in the Bayou.

Hayley looked around awkwardly. “Clearly, we're skipping all the hugs and hellos. Vincent?”

“Trail leads off this way, so, I guess we, uh, follow the breadcrumbs,” he said, clasping his hands together.

Klaus huffed. “Tactless savages holding a ghost-raising rave. Best make short work of them. I say we—”

“We split up,” interrupted Marcel. “Klaus, you're with me, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Anybody got a problem with that... I don't give a damn.”

He started to walk into the woods, and Klaus followed. Rolling her eyes, Beatrix followed the two of them.

“He hasn’t even got the courtesy to greet you,” observed Klaus as the other three went off in a different direction.

“He’s at perfect liberty to ignore me,” said Beatrix indifferently. “I won’t force him to act nice with me.”

Klaus made a face, as though he was definitely not okay with Marcel not respecting Beatrix. He moved closer to him. “I assume you embark upon this journey out of the kindness of your heart?”

Marcel cast him a very irritated look. “There are kids in trouble. Yours included.”

Klaus scoffed. “It's a bit late for you to suddenly care about my child, given you left her fatherless for five years.”

“Well, speaking from experience,” taunted Marcel, “I figured I was doing her a favor. She turned out well with Hayley and Beatrix as parental figures. She didn’t need you.”

Klaus made to lunge at him, but Beatrix held him back. “Careful,” sneered Klaus to Marcel. “Lest your insults mar an already tentative peace.”

Marcel stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. “All right, listen, I don't care about our peace, all right? I care about finding these missing kids and wiping out the messed up people who took them. Root out the problems, make them go away. That's what you do when you're the king.”

Klaus smirked malevolently. “All I see is a petulant prince.”

“Always with the insults,” Marcel muttered. “You never do learn.”

“On the contrary,” said Klaus, “my time in your dungeon clarified my priorities. My concerns are with my child. And as for you, I can imagine no better revenge than leaving you to the endless struggle to prove yourself my better. You're welcome, by the way.”

He walked ahead, and Beatrix sighed. “I really don’t want to hear another peep out of either of you.”

“I’m fine with that,” Klaus said smugly. 

“That counts as a peep,” said Beatrix. “Hush up. No need to perpetuate any animosity. Especially not with snide little comments. Marcel has every right to not want to be near us, but he’s being kind enough to help, so let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

Marcel motioned toward her as if thanking her for her support. Klaus rolled his eyes and continued to walk. He didn’t want to play nice.

However, both men did in fact listen. They did not speak again. They walked through the forest as the sun went down, and arrived at another clearing. On a mass of rocks were a multitude of skulls and bones, crossed and littered about. All around, there were fires lit, which was the only source of light aside from the stars. At the top of the mountain of rocks was the skull of an alligator. In front of the rocks, carved onto a gigantic wooden circle was the symbol of The Hollow. Four small bodies wrapped in cloth rested on the circle. Five men wearing black were waiting as Will Kinney walked up to them, bearing the talisman of The Hollow.

“Now that you’ve returned, brother,” said the head acolyte, “you may join us as we claim our power. Our rightful place. And lay waste to all who would deny our master. Are you prepared to prove your loyalty to The Hollow?”

Will nodded. “I know what I have to do. I’m not afraid.”

“We should begin,” said the acolyte. 

Klaus immediately sneered. “Enough with this circus of sadists.” He looked back to where there was another dreamcatcher knockoff and tore off the sharpest part, throwing it through the air. It lodged into the head acolyte’s throat and he collapsed. The other acolytes held up blades immediately. From the other end, Elijah was the first to launch at one of the men. Marcel, Klaus, and Beatrix followed, while Vincent and Hayley ran to get the kids.

But next thing they knew, things had gone wrong. Beatrix had just finished killing one of the men to clear the path for Hayley when Will had thrust out the talisman. She and Marcel were thrown to the floor, an invisible force dragging them across the ground toward Will. They each struggled, but no sound came from their mouths.

Beatrix looked up and managed to see Klaus going toward Will, grasping his throat and snapping his neck.

Her body then flew back. She was propped up onto her knees, facing the alligator skull. On her left was Marcel and on her right was Klaus. A ring of fire erupted around them, and none of them were able to move, or even speak. The scene before them faded briefly before returning as it had been, except there were no more burning fires. There was only a bright blue light behind the alligator’s skull. It appeared to be snowing, and Beatrix felt herself shivering.

“Where are we?” asked Marcel weakly. Though he was right beside her, his voice sounded miles away.

“Don’t look into the blue light,” whispered Klaus, turning his head away. Beatrix tried to drop her head, but it was as though someone was holding her jaw and cheeks to stop her. 

“What is this?” murmured Marcel, not having looked away.

“No, shut your eyes,” managed Klaus, though he sounded strained, as though he was forcing the words out. 

Beatrix tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. In fact, they widened, as though someone was forcing her eyelids apart.

“Look away!” demanded Klaus. His voice was distorted to Beatrix. She hardly understood what he was saying.

 _“So desperate,”_ crooned a female voice in her ear. _“Why deny me?”_

“Who are you?” whispered Beatrix as she kept trying to close her eyes.

_“You are my brethren, Itza Beatrix La Salle. You, daughter of Ixazaluoh. The both of you are my distant family. Why do you push me away?”_

She tried to shake her head and remove the voice, but the woman only spoke louder. _“You resist because you do not understand my power. I can raise the dead more easily than any witch on Earth. I can bring back all those you have lose. I can heal your body.”_

Beatrix’s lips trembled as she tried to speak. “No… leave.”

_“You can’t get rid of me. I cannot sacrifice you, because you are the vessel I need. But I can speak to you. To get you to comprehend. Serve me. I can give you back all that has been taken from you.”_

“I refuse,” managed Beatrix. “I—” she winced, feeling another sharp pain in her gut.

 _“Your body is weak without me,”_ crooned the woman. _“The strain of dark magic is heavier now that three centuries have gone by. I am not a poison. I can save you. I can give them all back to you…”_

Her eyes burned as images began to flash in front of the blue light. She saw Kai, smiling at her and reaching out to caress her hair, as he had many times when they’d been laying beside each other. She saw Renée, her half-sister, dressed in her 1700s peasant clothes, from when Beatrix had first met her in Dijon. She saw her mother, singing to herself and mixing some herbs with a mortar and pestle. She saw Davina and Kol, arms around each other. 

“Stop,” pleaded Beatrix, her side aching more painfully. It felt as though someone was stabbing her repeatedly. “Go away—”

_“Silly girl. You remain blind to the power I can give you. Allow yourself to help The Hollow. Your niece needn’t be harmed…”_

“You’re lying…”

_“I do not lie. All I ask is for a sacrifice. Klaus has caused you so much harm…”_

Her eyes began to burn again. She saw images of Klaus angry with her. How he’d flipped furniture. Shoved her back. Snarled in her face and slapped her. Thrust his hand into her chest and nearly ripped her heart out, twice. 

_“A monster like that will never truly care for anyone. He will only hurt you and his daughter. I needn’t harm that little girl if I can spill his blood instead… or perhaps, you’d like for me to kill Marcel…”_

More images. Her bickers with Marcel, five years ago, when she had chosen to help the Mikaelsons instead of aiding him in killing Klaus.

_“The boy you raised… taking you for granted. Rather than listening to the woman who served as his mother, he grew angry. Insolent brat…”_

“Don’t hurt them,” panted Beatrix. Everything hurt. Her eyes felt like they were being torched. Her side throbbed in discomfort. Her legs felt weak. She couldn’t move her arms. Her head was pounding as if it was being bashed against boulders. 

_“That pain that you feel will go away if you let me take you. I will let you have your body once I am reunited with mine. I will ensure you will never decay. I will grant you those souls that you lost. All you need to do is say you will serve The Hollow…”_

Beatrix whimpered as she tried to shake her head. “No… I won’t…”

Suddenly, the blue hue faded, and she slumped forward, barely caught by Klaus. The ring of fire was gone. The fires were burning again. 

“Up you come,” whispered Klaus in her ear, pulling her to her feet. Her legs gave out and she collapsed as soon as he propped her up. Instead, he picked her up, but her head lolled weakly back, until he lifted his arm to make her comfortable. “Can you hear me?”

“Mhm,” she murmured. “My veins…”

“Black again,” he said gravely. “But you closed your eyes, at least.”

“No I didn’t…”

“Yes, love, your eyes were closed. Marcel’s weren’t.”

“But—”

“Shh… rest. We’ll be back at the Compound soon. I’ll draw you up a bath, and you will feel better.”

Beatrix tried to protest, but simply gave up, letting her temple press against his chest. 

Everything felt blurry. She distinctly recalled that Klaus did draw her a bath, and he helped her into a fluffy robe. He gave her some tea and marshmallows to chew on. It seemed as though they had a conversation, but Beatrix couldn’t remember what it was about. The moments after exiting The Hollow’s realm felt more like a dream that was very difficult to recall in detail. He set her down on the bed, and he stroked her hair until she slept.

But when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t in her room. She was staring at a dusty wooden ceiling. She turned her head to the side and recognized the abandoned carpenter’s workshop that Aurora had lured Klaus and Elijah to, five years ago. Long ago, this had been her mother’s house. It was empty except for some wood and tools. She was on the ground, and when she sat up, she saw her mother in the doorway.

“Itza,” she said gently. _“¿Cómo te sientes?”_

 _Translation:_ [How do you feel?]

“ _Mamá_ ,” said Beatrix, crawling back a bit. “Why—?”

Ixazaluoh smiled at her. “ _Mija_ , you came here on your own, you should know.”

“I did?” she whispered, standing up slowly. “But I don’t… I don’t remember…”

“You’ve been through a very difficult ordeal,” said Ixa. “Your consciousness betrayed you just a bit. But it’s enough to see me. You can always go back.”

Beatrix looked suspiciously at her. “You’ve never appeared to me before. The last time, it was fake. It was Freya and Klaus’s doing.”

“ _Mija_ , there is a lot about Chamer’s magic that you couldn’t possibly understand. The Mayan gods are always tricksters. He’s never let us see each other, because when he claimed my soul, he created a blockage. I was never consecrated here, and I was trapped in his domain. He wants your soul, too. You were meant to have died long ago, and he would have gotten you. But your life has been extended, and he grows impatient, so he has blocked me from your consciousness so that you will be more eager to accept death, if it would mean seeing me again. Otherwise, I might have found a solution to this pain. His magic is inside of you, and it’s destroying you. This is my fault, Itza. I was a fool for not giving back the magic. I should have expelled it before I let myself fool around and get pregnant. I never thought the magic would affect you like this. For that, I am sorry.”

Beatrix stepped closer to her. “There is no solution that can be found anytime soon, is there? I won’t be able to see you again after this.”

Ixa sighed. “No, you likely won’t be able to see me again. It takes a lot of energy for me to appear to you. Right now, your subconscious is in shambles, and it has kept Chamer from blocking our communication. There is only one solution I can think of. The Hollow.”

Beatrix frowned. “But how do you know The Hollow?”

“Itza, all of us who are tainted with dark magic are between realms. I cannot reside in Hell or Heaven. I can have no peace. I can merely be in limbo. We have all heard of The Hollow. The same magic that was given to her mother is what courses through your veins, because you we are related to her. We share a singular common ancestor.”

“What? But how? Isn’t she a Native American? You were born in Latin America.”

“Long ago, one singular Mayan man escaped with Chamer’s help, leaving behind a wife and a child, who is our very, very distant ancestor. I chose to take Chamer’s magic because I heard this man had done it before, and I knew I could evade Chamer and be safe from the sacrifice I was going to be forced into. 

“That man went to America. Hid his magic in a sacred totem. Passed it on to the singular son he had. Centuries later, The Hollow was born. The totem was possessed by the mother, who is descended from that man. It was used to give the child the power it has. They had no idea how dark the magic was. She became sadistic, and thirsted for power.”

Ixa stepped forward and put her hands on Beatrix’s shoulders. “You almost turned out just like her. Instead, you were born without powers of your own. It was a rare occurrence that the Bayou witches expected. It was why they tried to get me to kill you before you were born, and why they took you from me when they found us. They wanted to monitor you and put you down if you turned out like her. In the end, you didn’t. But now, it makes you the perfect vessel. You and The Hollow share blood that will forge a bond once a sacrifice occurs, in order to bring her back into the realm of the living.”

Beatrix moved away from her. “Why is The Hollow the solution, then? I don’t wish to fuse with her. I won’t help her destroy everything.”

Ixa clasped her hands together. “I want what is best for you, mija. Your safety. The restoration of our people…”

Immediately, Beatrix held up her hands defensively. “No,” she said sharply. “You’re not my mother…”

Ixa’s eyes glowed blue before the figure changed, resembling the slender blonde, Renée La Salle. “How did you know, sister?” she asked with a malicious smile.

“My mother would have never wanted the restoration of the Mayan Civilization. She escaped them because she wanted to live. She didn’t give a shit about bringing them back. If you went in my mind, you would have known that…”

The Renée look-alike shrugged. “Perhaps I wanted you to figure it out. I can take any shape I desire. Right now, I believe… I’m the half-sister you killed, because you were too weak to deal with a loss. If you accept The Hollow, you will never feel pain again. You will never succumb to your impulses again. You can have her back… the sister you always wanted…”

She changed again, and Kai appeared, smirking at her. He held out his arms. “Come on, darling, it was pretty clever either way. I think you want this boy back more than that girl, though…”

“It was stupid,” Beatrix snapped, her hands shaking. She felt afraid. The room was cold, and she already had no idea how she got there to begin with. “Why would you tell me all of that? You could have given me the key to get rid of you!”

“But you didn’t,” The Hollow replied, still resembling Kai. The hands gestured toward the body. “He always liked your dark side better, didn’t he? And in the end, you just weren’t evil enough anymore. I can bring him back, and make him just how he was… when he saved you from imprisonment in the Mikaelson Compound. When you traveled in the prison world. Accept me, and you can have him back.”

“Never,” snarled Beatrix. She thrust her hands out, but nothing happened. Her breathing accelerated as The Hollow walked toward her, Kai’s figure dissolving and turning instead into a shriveled, dark mummy with a blue light all around it, like a halo.

She didn’t know how she would attack the spirit if her magic didn’t work against it. She couldn’t risk any confrontation, because it would only lead to her possibly being possessed and hurting others.

Impulsively, she thrust her own hand into her chest, whimpering as she held onto her own heart. The spirit simply laughed. 

“Clever girl,” she crooned. “Yes, you can rip your own heart out if you seek to avoid me. I can bring you back to life, and it will be as if someone merely snapped your neck. But you cannot push me away forever. I will have you.”

Beatrix’s hand suddenly flew out on its own, without her heart in its hand. The Hollow seemed to prefer to do it instead. “A manifestation of my power,” the woman’s voice whispered. Beatrix felt a sharp pain in her chest, and saw blood pooling over her shirt. 

Her heart flew out, and she collapsed.

_A/N: She’s not dead. The Hollow is going to resurrect her (because that would have normally killed her) to show Beatrix the kind of power she has. Putting this here because I know that someone would have messaged me like, ‘WTF? She’s dead???’_


	62. Chapter 62

**When she revived, she was on a couch, with Hayley, Elijah, and Vincent seated beside her.**

“Easy there,” said Vincent when she tried to sit up. “You had your heart ripped out, don’t strain yourself.”

Beatrix nodded and lay back. “How did you find me?”

“Locator Spell, surprisingly,” said Hayley smoothly. “Freya fed you some things, too. You should rest for the remainder of the night, though.”

The Heretic hummed. “So the bitch brought me back. I can’t believe it.”

“It did,” said Elijah, looking mildly amused. “Risky bet you took. But it was efficient in escaping.”

“How do you know?” inquired Beatrix.

“Once Freya purified you, I was able to look into your mind. Niklaus and I watched everything you saw since the moment it first infected you.”

She made a face. “Well… why isn’t Klaus here, then? Don’t tell me he’s gone off on a killing spree in my honor…”

The three looked around at each other. Beatrix frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“He’s with Hope,” said Hayley, which sounded like the truth, but also a coverup of the real reason. “I’m sure he’ll come back soon.”

Beatrix brought her hands up to rub her temples, trying to distract herself from wondering why Klaus really wasn’t there. “My head still aches.”

“The Hollow used quite a bit of power on you,” Vincent told her. “Made you see things that honestly… I can’t even explain. Elijah showed me the vision of your mother. How it knew all those things…”

“So you saw that we’re distantly related?” asked Beatrix. “And that’s why it wants me so bad?”

Hayley nodded. “There’s something else, too. I was with Mary and… her husband was being controlled by The Hollow. It made him kill my parents. All of this can’t be a coincidence.”

“Let me guess, we’re related too,” said Beatrix a bit playfully, trying to diffuse the tension.

“Maybe. There’s a few things I want to investigate before we make any assumptions. What we do know is that The Hollow wants you, but is simultaneously trying to kill Hope. If we were even distantly related, it wouldn’t make sense.”

“There’s a lot still left to uncover,” murmured Beatrix. She coughed slightly, and Vincent patted her forehead with a damp towel.

“Try to rest,” he instructed. “Today has been strenuous for everyone.”

Beatrix made a face. “What happened while I was gone?”

Elijah pursed his lips. “Niklaus and Marcel tried to kill each other, due to The Hollow’s influence.”

The Heretic’s eyes widened. “Are they okay? What happened?”

“They’re purified and safe. Niklaus is with his daughter. Marcel, well… we put him downstairs in the dungeons where he had chained my brother. For safety.”

“So he’s your prisoner now,” Beatrix muttered, looking disappointed.

“Not at all,” responded Elijah. “I have no intent of harming him unless he attempts to harm any of the members of our family. We merely wish to secure him so that The Hollow cannot goad him into killing my brother. It wants a powerful sacrifice, and those two are about as powerful as it gets.”

Beatrix didn’t look pleased. “I’d like to speak to Elijah alone, if Klaus isn’t going to join us.”

Hayley and Vincent both nodded respectfully. “I’ll go check on Hope,” said Hayley as Vincent waved and left the building entirely.

Elijah leaned back in his chair. “My dear Itza, I don’t wish to harm him. I merely want to keep us all safe. Marcel is included in that. Down there, nothing can touch him.”

“How did you really find me?” she demanded. “And why is Klaus really not down here?”

Elijah sighed. “Niklaus and Marcel found you. The Hollow lured them to you. It made each of them see visions that the other had killed you, to make them angry enough to attack each other. We barely managed to prevent their deaths. We thought you were dead, and we brought you back here. I admit, we were a bit of a mess. Freya had to trap Niklaus in his room with a barrier spell so that he wouldn’t do something rash. But Vincent soon realized that you were regrowing your heart. He let it grow and then aided Freya in purifying your body. It took several hours, but you are awake now.”

“Does Klaus not know I’m alive?” she asked incredulously.

“He is aware. We made sure to tell him. He came down so that we could see into your mind.”

“Well, why wasn’t he here when I woke up?”

Elijah drummed his fingers against his own leg. “We saw the visions it showed you. Past moments when Niklaus acted very violently toward you. We saw how it showed you that Heretic boy.”

“Let me guess,” she murmured, her voice shaky. “He got jealous.”

“I believe he felt guilty.”

“Kai’s death wasn’t even his fault! As for the visions— look, I can’t exactly forget that all of you have hurt me before. Rebekah and Kol have each beaten me up in the past over misunderstandings. You almost tore my heart out that time that I didn’t want to put my magic back. And Klaus—”

“—is aware that he has been most aggressive with you. All of us know how gracious you are to forgive us after such actions. You have helped us through dark times and not held anything against us. You have seen the darkest parts of me and yet, still treat me with respect. We are incredibly grateful for that. You do not judge us for our past actions. You merely help us be better so that they don’t happen again, and you support us in such improvements. You made us all be better to those around us. 

“Kol used to be uncontrollable. Who helped him start learning to control his blood lust? Who made him feel seen and appreciated? You did. And in that, he found love at last. Rebekah used to be insufferable. Who helped her be humble and simultaneously appreciate her worth? Who helped her realize what she wanted out of life? You did. It helped her feel free and hold a goal that didn’t involve embarrassing and tormenting others. Me. I used to unleash often. I used to say and do terrible things. You were the one who went past the Red Door with me and taught me how to be in control and how to strive for better. Without you, none of us would be better people.

“Niklaus, however, seems to only now be realizing the full extent of the harm he’s inflicted on you in the past. He used to constantly degrade you. He hit you once, when you disagreed with him. He snarled and nearly killed you because you didn’t abide by his rules. He’s always been conscious of how he’s treated you and others. But until now, he didn’t care. He was fine being a monster. Seeing his daughter now, he grows aware of who he used to be, and after seeing how The Hollow showed it to you, he’s understanding that he’s never once apologized for how he treated you. And he knows that he hasn’t done much better. He said, and I quote, ‘she deserves much better than me, and it’s selfish of me to stay with her when all I’ve ever done is harm her.’ He reverts back to anger each time he is displeased. He believes you to be in constant danger at his side.”

“What?” she snapped, feeling tears of frustration brimming in her eyes. 

“I don’t pretend to understand my brother all the time. But I do sense that he feels paranoid that he will bring your downfall. He always overthinks things, Itza. And now, he wonders often— ‘why does she stay with me after everything I’ve done to her in the past?’”

“B-But I’m not mad at him, Elijah— after all this time, I’ve forgiven him. He was there for me when I turned off my humanity— he was the one who knew how to get me to turn it back on! Both times that I lost Kai, he helped me work through it, and he was there to comfort me. It reignited all those feelings I thought I’d suppressed from the 1830s because he let me feel vulnerable without judgment and picked me up once I felt better. I can’t forget how he made me feel, Elijah. The good and bad. I can brush aside the bad because I know he’s trying to be better. Maybe it’s because of some sick trauma from my past that I can love someone who did so much wrong, or maybe it’s because he deserves to be loved— but I love him regardless. Every part of him. I know he’s working to improve, and I value that. Obviously, I won’t stand for him to treat me like shit, but he hasn’t— he’s done every bloody thing to make me feel safe and I couldn’t be mad about something like that!”

Elijah looked saddened when he noticed she had started to cry. “I will ask him to come and speak with you, if you would like.”

“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “No. You shouldn’t have to tell him to come talk to me. He should come on his own. I-I don’t even know what we are specifically— if I’m his girlfriend or just his friend with excessive benefits. But I know for a fact that I am his family, and if he’s going to push me aside, he needs to say it to my face.”

This was always the problem with Klaus. Beatrix could make the effort to forget the bad things because what mattered most was whether he tried to be better or not. And he was trying, so she allowed herself to forget the violent memories of the past. After all, the day he’d hit her had been centuries ago, when they first met, and it had been after she’d thrown the first punch due to an argument that she had started. She wanted so desperately to see good in him because he _was_ good. He had the potential to be a good man. But time and time again he would push her away even though she had shown him that she loved him. His paranoia always got in the way of their relationship, whether it was as a couple or just friends. He could never let himself forget who he was. He could never forget that initial betrayal of her having helped Marcel and Rebekah sneaking around. He always reverted to that uncertainty and always shoved her aside to protect himself, fearing that losing her would hurt him, though he was really the one causing that loss.

Beatrix began to cry, and Elijah extracted a handkerchief from his pocket before handing it to her. She covered her face with it and sobbed in frustration. Elijah moved closer, to offer comfort, but she motioned for him to stay away.

“Please don’t,” she managed weakly. “I have a fucking problem, Elijah. I… I go for anyone that gives me any sort of comfort or attention…”

“Itza,” he said gently. “Don’t criticize yourself.”

“I have to! I do have a problem. When I first met Kol, he was so flirty… he comforted me when I was frustrated with you or Klaus for being harsh with Marcel. So I let him be my first. Then later on, I fell for Klaus because he made me feel important. Then you, because you comforted me after what I went through with him. Kai comforted me when you all were bugging me and then, I fell for him. I’m a fucking idiot, Elijah— I go for any man who makes me feel even slightly good about myself. And then I just end up hurt.”

Elijah took her hand. “You deserve better than us. None of us treated you like the queen you are. Kol didn’t try to be a good friend until the 1900s. Niklaus took you for granted and made you feel oppressed. I pushed you aside and made you feel insecure. Kai made you feel like you had to do cruel things for his affection. We’ve been bad for you. We hurt you. I want what is best for you, Itza, and I want you to know that you are free to leave us whenever you would like—”

“We’re letting her leave now?”

They looked up to see that Klaus had come down. “Niklaus,” said Elijah, standing up and letting go of Beatrix’s hand. “Nice of you to join us.”

Klaus looked livid. “What’s this I hear about her leaving?”

“I was merely reminding her that she has the option to go anywhere she chooses,” said Elijah. “After all, she is not bound to us in any way. She has freedom, and I am reiterating that it stands so that she may go as she pleases.”

Beatrix sat up as Klaus stepped forward. “Do you wish to leave?” he asked lowly.

“Not at this present moment,” she said quietly. “What took you so long to get down here?”

“I’ve been wondering what to say to you, love,” said Klaus, clasping his hands together. “You see, Elijah may not have told you, but we saw the conversation you had with Vincent.”

Beatrix felt her limbs go rigid. “And?” she whispered.

“And it is the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Klaus snapped. “How can you possibly think of sacrificing yourself?”

“Niklaus, if you’ve only come to chastise her, I suggest you leave,” Elijah said coldly before Beatrix could answer. “She needs her rest.”

“She is not about to act rashly, brother! Here you are, reminding her of her freedom— how can you let her go through with it?”

“In case you do not remember, it’s a suggestion with an _‘if.’_ She isn’t bound to her word. It is her choice. We have suppressed her for far too long. I was reminding her so that she knows that she doesn’t need to feel obligated to help us in any way. All we have done is hurt her.”

“And now you suddenly care about her?” sneered Klaus. “You’re the reason she turned her humanity off in the first place! If you hadn’t pushed her aside and made her fall into the arms of that siphon boy and if you hadn’t barged in afterwards, when she was grieving—”

Beatrix got to her feet, but almost immediately stumbled back. “Can you stop talking about me as if I’m not right here? What is it with you two? I know you’ve been having tense little conversations— what the hell is that about?”

“Tell her, Niklaus, or I will,” demanded Elijah. “I assure you, she won’t stand for it. She should get a say, and you did not wish to give her that option.”

Klaus gritted his teeth. “I thought to put you to sleep,” he murmured. “To keep you alive long enough to find a solution. Since that day you siphoned from Hope, I’ve been wondering how to get you to—”

“—he wished to do it without your knowledge,” said Elijah in a hard voice. “I attempted to persuade him into telling you, with no luck. He didn’t want for you to know, so that you wouldn’t protest.”

“It would have kept her in a peaceful sleep!” roared Klaus suddenly. “And now here you are, preaching to her about her bloody freedom! She knows she’s free, but I will _not_ stand for losing her, Elijah!”

“Brother, she is right in front of us, and she does not feel well. This discussion can be had another time so long as you swear that you will let her weigh in her opinion.”

“I will not! She rashly proposed sacrifice and was going to get that bloody witch to keep it a secret from us! She doesn’t get to make absurd propositions without consulting us!”

“Brother, let me remind you, she is not an object, she is a person, and as such, gets a very major say in this plan of yours. This should be her decision entirely!”

Beatrix held her hand up to keep Klaus from retorting. “So that’s it, then?” she said coldly. “You wanted to put me to sleep at some random moment? And when you realized I was still alive and saw what I had seen, you sought to pull away from me so that I could what— be safe?”

“You are in danger every time you step out of this bloody Compound!” snarled Klaus. “I won’t let you get hurt because of me!”

“Which is why I reminded her, brother, that she is free to go,” Elijah cut in. “She does not wish to be through with you. A civil conversation is needed and you were going to make all the decisions for the both of you!”

“It’s always been like that and she knows it, and she chooses to stay!” Klaus said, making Beatrix flinch. “That bloody spirit showed her all the bad things about me— she knows perfectly well that Klaus Mikaelson does not give others a say in such matters!”

Beatrix glared at him. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you insinuating that I’m too weak and impulsive and stupid to make decisions on my own? Klaus, you may doubt all of this, but I care a lot about you, dark parts and all, and I expect to be treated with the same respect—”

“How can I do that when you’re prancing about and suggesting that you sacrifice yourself?” he spat in her face, seizing her by the shoulders. “How are the rest of us to feel?”

“Niklaus!” Elijah yanked him off of her. “It is her choice— everything should be her choice! She has free will, and we do not control her!”

“Yes, thank you, Elijah!” said Beatrix shakily. “Klaus, I love you, but I don’t want you just making decisions without me—”

“I don’t want to bloody lose you!” he spat, shoving Elijah aside.

Beatrix stared up into his eyes. She was still crying. “You’re going to lose me if you keep letting your anger overcome you. You’re going to lose me if you don’t let me make choices for myself. I choose every damn day to stay here even though I know that I’m free to leave. You’re all my family and I will not abandon Hope or Hayley. The rest of you can get along just fine without me, I know that, but I care about all of you and don’t wish to be anywhere else that’s not with you. I can’t let you all fight The Hollow without me. It wants me. We can use that to our advantage. We just have to be patient and to learn about how it works. The things it showed me— yes, Klaus, it tried to bring up memories of you hurting me, but can’t you understand that I’m trying hard to look past that because you’re trying to improve?”

“That’s the bloody problem, isn’t it?” he said. “I can’t improve. All I will do is hurt you. So let me keep you safe while we work all of this out— let us keep you from having to make a sacrifice.”

“The point isn’t the stupid sacrifice! It’s just a precaution— a last attempt to get rid of this thing! I didn’t want you to know because I knew you’d stop me. Please, don’t drive a wedge between us because you’re paranoid that you’re going to hurt me. You hurt me when you suppress me. When you try to control everything and don’t let me choose what I want to do.”

“If that’s how you feel, then the wedge has been driven,” Klaus snapped.

Elijah let out a loud sigh of annoyance and turned away, frustrated, as Beatrix and Klaus just looked at each other. Hurt. Anger. Pain. Betrayal. Sadness. 

Beatrix thought that he was better. She really did. He was doing his best for his little girl, and she had fallen in love with him all over again. But The Hollow had been right to show her those memories that she’d pushed aside. He was never really going to change. He was always going to try to impose himself on others to do what he wanted, whether those people liked it or not. 

“Is that it, then?” Beatrix whispered, beginning to cry all over again. “Are we done, Klaus?”

He gazed at her with longing, but he didn’t respond. She gulped and nodded slowly. “Fine,” she said, sinking back onto the couch. “Fine…”

“I don’t want to hurt you anymore,” whispered Klaus. “We can’t…”

She started to sob audibly, covering her face. Klaus moved to comfort her, but Elijah motioned for him to step away.

“I-I thought this time would be d-different,” she managed hoarsely as she sobbed into her palms. “I thought…”

“You thought wrong, love,” Klaus murmured. “I want… more than anything… to be the man you deserve, but I will never be that. You have been through too much and you deserve so much better.”

She gulped and struggled to catch her breath. “Are we t-to just be f-friends again? Seriously?”

This was the cycle. They'd be friends. Be a couple. Be enemies. Be friends again. It was unending and Beatrix knew she should have strived for more, but she simply couldn't detach herself from the Mikaelsons after all this time. They were her family, in the end, and she would give her life for them without hesitation. No matter how much they hurt her, she always found her way back.

Klaus bit his lip. “If you wish, love. If not…”

She stood up and brushed past him angrily.


	63. Chapter 63

**Her dreams had been unpleasant.**

It was as though her subconscious had decided to plague her with every memory of her time with Klaus. 

She saw the good and bad. The pleasant and terrible. Every last kiss and punch she’d thrown at him. The arguments they’d had. The way they’d fallen in to bed afterward to make up for any tension. It had been toxic and she only just seemed to realize it.

She didn’t want to think that she made a mistake. She loved Klaus. He could be incredibly good and selfless and kind. But their relationship had always been toxic. Sticking as friends was their best bet. They could still be honest with each other. But once they started getting more intimate, it led to more worries and problems.

She woke up tired and bitter. Shuffling about in annoyance, she went down and ate breakfast before heading for the exit.

“Where are you off to?”

She turned and saw Elijah. “Off to see Vincent,” she said simply. “Just to see what we find. Don’t feel like staying here.”

“I will accompany you,” he offered. “Hayley is going to do some investigating, and I believe I would benefit from being away from my brother.”

She snorted. “So we’re both pissed at him?”

Elijah smirked. “‘Pissed,’ yes, I like that word. Let us go see how Vincent is doing.”

He sped the two of them away to Vincent’s apartment. They knocked on the door and soon, the witch opened.

“What do you want now?” Vincent said to Elijah.

“Can we at least pretend to be civilized?” asked the Original.

“We’re supposed to be civil? Does Marcel know that? I helped Beatrix because she deserves my help. The rest of you have him trapped in your dungeon.”

“Please, invite us in,” said Elijah. “We have things to discuss. Marcel will only be detained until we can be sure he is free of this thing’s vile influence.”

Vincent sighed. “You Mikaelson's, you always find a way to get right back on top, don't you? I bet you've got a plan all figured out.”

Elijah nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do. A rather festive one. Let me tell you about it.”

Vincent pursed his lips, and looked over at Beatrix, as if deciding that he’d do this, only for her. “Well, if it's gonna help me fight this thing, you're gonna have to know what you're up against. Come in before I change my mind.”

“Wonderful,” said Beatrix quietly as the two walked in. They found Vincent had pinned maps to the wall, covering them in post-its and red string.

He stepped in front of the maps and beckoned toward them. “Beatrix and I had already discussed how this thing has been haunting the city for a very long time. Before, all we really knew was that this spirit practiced some very dark magic to try to get back into this world. That’s why it tried to sacrifice those kids. That's why it tried to do the exact same thing to Marcel and to Klaus. Because if it kills them, if they die, it absorbs all of their power.” He pointed over the post its. “This is the history of the city. This is the ebb and flow of violence and tragedy. Look, this is, um, Madame LaLaurie, this is uh, The Axeman. I mean the list goes on and on and on and on and on and sometimes it's hidden, but if you know what you're looking for, right, there's always a sign it's The Hollow. And when it does bubble up, it always do so in a pattern of four.”

“Four,” murmured Beatrix. “Not exactly the most sacred number in the book. We know that it wants to get back, and it reaches through the desperate to try and gain a foothold. All we know now is that she wants to have me. We’re related distantly.”

“And this might be a reach, but pay attention to the numbers— you were born in 1684. You were thought to be dead in 1914. You were trapped in a continuous loop of the year 1994. What year was your mother born?”

“1665,” said Beatrix. “Why?”

“Think— either you or your mother would have been perfect vessels for The Hollow. But your mother was born a year too late. For some reason, the number four appears at the end of three major dates in your life. So the number four means something, but we have to figure out what.”

“What we need is someone who could speak to us of its desires, of its weaknesses,” said Elijah. “I pitched the idea for this party because I want all of the supernaturals in New Orleans to attend. I want them in one room.”

“So you think this person might be at your party,” mused Vincent.

“I’m counting on it,” said Elijah. “I’m counting on you to help me find them.”

“I can do that,” said Vincent with a nod. “But Beatrix— you shouldn’t be there. Not anywhere in the open. Their magic is dark and they will try to subdue you.”

She threw her hands in the air. “So now I’m blocked from attending a party, too?”

“It is only a recommendation for protection,” said Elijah. “Of course, in the end, we all know that you will do whatever you want, regardless of our input.”

Beatrix sighed. “I’ll do my best to stay out of the way. I’ll keep Marcel company.”

Vincent seemed pleased. “Yes. I like the idea of that. Elijah, we both know that Marcel isn’t infected by The Hollow anymore. It’s absurd to keep him in your dungeon. At least let her keep him company.”

“So be it,” said Elijah. “Speak with him, Beatrix. If by the end of tomorrow, you believe he deserves to be let out, we will release him.”

Beatrix nodded. “Good. Thank you.”

They returned to the Compound hours later (once Elijah had laid out the details of the party and Vincent had given them some extra information) to find Klaus chiseling an ice sculpture. All around, compelled servants were setting up decorations for the party, with a Mardi Gras theme. 

“You’ve outdone yourself, clearly,” said Elijah. “You followed the suggestions I left for you.”

Klaus didn’t turn to face them. “It's such a shame these lovely linens will soon be red with blood.”

Elijah frowned. “Violence must only be seen as a last resort, it will only weaken our position.”

Klaus spun on his heel and turned to Beatrix, holding out the chisel. “Yes, well, I’m a creature of very specific habits, aren’t I? I can’t help it.”

“Seriously?” she muttered. “Don’t point at me like this is somehow my fault. Elijah says he wants to create a false sense of security. As in music, champagne, and no blood.”

“Some stealthy reconnaissance,” added Elijah with a tight-lipped smile. “Do we understand each other, Niklaus?”

Klaus was not pleased. “They threatened me. They threatened my child. Bloodshed is inevitable.”

“And with that mindset, you’re trying to protect Hope?” asked Beatrix with a scoff. “She quite literally worships you. You don’t want her to see the monster, do you?”

“I do not wish for her to see me as a monster!” Klaus snapped. “But I cannot sit idly by while threats to our family go unanswered.”

“They won’t,” said Elijah. “Now, let me do this. Please. And should any turmoil arise, should anyone dare to disrupt our kingdom, let them answer to me. I do not wish for there to be any more problems.”

He walked away, and Beatrix and Klaus shared a very tense moment. Obviously, they both had things to say, but neither of them wanted to be the first to speak.

“I will never change,” Klaus murmured at last, turning away from her. “You will be better without me.”

“You didn’t think that maybe, just _maybe_ , I felt better _with_ you? I didn’t want it to end like this, but clearly, you gave up on us.”

He whirled back to face her. “You sought to sacrifice yourself for all of us! How was I to live with myself, knowing the woman I love, chose to die for my sake? For the sake of my daughter? All I have ever done is drag you in harm’s way and demand your help and make you feel insignificant. I am not a bloody saint and I will never be one. I want more than anything for us to be together but I can’t fathom how I will overcome the pain of losing you. In these years that remain, you should be with someone who won’t treat you this way!”

“You cut me off so it won’t hurt as bad when I die?” she snapped. “Wow. I don’t want anyone else Klaus. I want you. But you don’t want me enough. And you know what, I _do_ deserve better. Better than a coward who is so paranoid that he doesn’t realize that he just shoved aside the one person who never turned their back on him. The person who loved him unconditionally despite his existing flaws. We’re all fucked up, Klaus! None of us are good people! We’ve all killed. We’ve all had blood on our hands. I’m no better than you! I’m just as dark and sadistic! You can’t seriously want this to be over. P-Please…”

She had teared up. He simply shook his head. “I’m far worse than you, love,” he murmured. “And I can’t be your partner. As your friend, I can make sure you don’t get hurt. But any greater attachment will leave you vulnerable. They’ll hurt you to hurt me. This is the only way I know of, to keep you safe.”

She whimpered in frustration and covered her face. “For fuck’s sake, Klaus, there will be danger whether I’m your friend or your girlfriend! Why—”

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. “I cannot control myself, Beatrix, can’t you bloody see that?” he said angrily. “I will always pose a danger to you but I can’t completely let you go, or it will destroy me! Stop your incessant pleading and fall in love with a good man or woman who—”

“Shut up!” she screamed, shoving him back. “Klaus, I don’t want anyone else! Why can’t you see that? I-I thought— I thought that this would last, I thought that we were going to get through everything this time. Fucking hell— I am in love with you, and have been since 1830! I thought that in the future, we would be happy! You and I would eventually get married… Elijah would marry Hayley… Hope would have a functional family.”

“Well, you thought wrong!” he bellowed. “I don’t want to marry you! I never should have rekindled this relationship— it was a mistake! I knew the entire time that I was getting myself into a problem, and I kept at it! How can I protect my daughter when I’m worried about you, too? It isn’t possible! Stop trying, Beatrix!”

“You’re pushing me away because you think you’ll hurt me, but it hurts me more to know that you only want us to be friends! Klaus, please, for the love of—”

Elijah sped between them as they both lunged at each other.

“That’s quite enough,” he said sternly. “Clearly, civilized talk is out of the question.”

“Tell her to stop bloody pursuing me, then!” Klaus exclaimed. “She has several other bachelors to choose from, and yet she insists that it’s me she wants.”

“And that’s not bloody changing for anyone, Klaus!” Beatrix retorted. 

Elijah sighed loudly. “You both seek to protect each other. What if you table this conversation until The Hollow is defeated? Perhaps, you can reevaluate your relationship at that time.”

The Heretic and hybrid glared at each other in grudging agreement.

“Until then, act respectfully for the sake of Hope,” continued Elijah. “We needn’t worry her with obvious tension between the two of you.”

“I can agree with that,” said Beatrix quietly as she stepped back. 

“I will agree, so long as she doesn’t attend the party,” said Klaus.

Beatrix made to argue, but Elijah held his hand up. “We already have an arrangement for this, do we not?”

“But—”

“It is safer. It will give you a chance to reconnect with Marcel.”

This time, it was Klaus who opened his mouth to say his piece, but Elijah kept him from speaking. “There is nothing wrong with her wanting to see him. If she thinks he deserves to be let out, he will be. No objections.”

Klaus gritted his teeth. “Fine. But I am going to escort her. And it will be just before the party starts.”

“Fine,” Beatrix mocked. 

She went up to take a very angry shower, attacking the water as it came out of the showerhead. She turned several droplets into shards of ice and made them crash into each other before disappearing down the drain. She rubbed the soap over herself furiously, ignoring the fact that she was crying as the warm water ran over her body.

She got out and stumbled around her room, cursing and muttering under her breath as she tried to put together an outfit. It took forever, because she was so angry, she kept grabbing all the wrong things. But at least, she was ready by the time she heard the compelled musicians playing their first round of jazz.

Klaus had been waiting at her door in a suit, once she was done. She had put on a dress even though she was going to be spending the next several hours in the dungeons.

They did not speak as he led her down through the tunnels, to where Marcel was trapped in a circle of salt, with candles around it, the spell strong enough that Beatrix would have taken nearly ten minutes siphoning it off. Clever work by Freya. 

“How the mighty have fallen,” said Klaus in a taunting voice as they reached Marcel, who was shackled. “How the tables have turned…” he opened the gate for Beatrix and allowed her to step in first. “I’m still trying to find the right idiom.”

Marcel glared at Klaus distastefully. “How about you and your fancy jacket and tie go straight to Hell?”

Klaus shrugged. “What goes around, comes around.” He extracted the familiar blade of Papa Tunde. “I think that fits.”

“You ransacked my place,” Marcel scoffed. “Classy.”

“Well, to the victor goes the spoils. And now that you know I have it, you know I can use it at my leisure.”

“Then use it,” Marcel snapped as he stood up. “Or else go back to your stupid party. And why is she here?”

Klaus smirked, twirling the blade in his palm. “She wishes to see you. At the very least, the both of you can hear our merriment above. The boundary spell will render you both invisible to anyone outside our bloodline.” 

He shoved Beatrix into the circle. “Take your time, love,” he said, no longer smirking. “Freya will release you when you ask for it.”

Marcel caught her as she stumbled in. “You’re more desperate than I thought, Klaus,” he said coldly. “You think that waving that blade around is going to scare me.”

Klaus shook his head. “You misunderstand. This is not to scare you, it is merely to illuminate your conundrum. You see, there are those who care about you, who would see you free: Joshua, Vincent…”

“Threatening my friends, that is low,” Marcel snapped.

“And then there’s that girl you’ve been seeing,” Klaus continued, as if he hadn’t heard him. “Sofya. Well, come on. Tell me about her. After all, the more familiar I am with her, the easier it will be to avoid any little... misunderstandings.”

“Don’t worry about her,” Marcel responded. “She's a mercenary. She works for the highest bidder. So it's just business, with some pleasure.”

Klaus seemed to take this as a challenge. “Well, then, I do very much look forward to meeting her.”

He sped away, the gate slamming shut behind him. Marcel turned to face Beatrix. “What the fuck is up with you two?” he demanded. 

They had all the time in the world. Beatrix put her hand against his and let him enter her memories, replaying what The Hollow had shown her, and what Klaus had said afterward.

Marcel didn’t look at all surprised, but he did seem sympathetic. “You’re going to help get me out?” he asked quietly.

“Of course I am,” she said, sitting down on the floor. “You don’t deserve to be in here. At least by tomorrow night. I plan to stay here with you until then.”

“You could be doing something better.”

“You’re my true family, Marcel. I’m not abandoning you. Especially not now that Klaus and I are having a major disagreement.”

He snorted. “If things were normal, this would be a casual ‘your parents need time away from each other’ conversation. We’d start the whole shared custody thing…”

She laughed lightly. “Yeah, we would… look, I’m sorry. I know you felt betrayed because I didn’t side with you. I haven’t been the best mother figure. There was so much I should have done ages ago. I should have taken you from Klaus. Helped you grow up somewhere else. They remind me that I’m free, and like an idiot, I stay.”

“They were your family before you met me,” he said reasonably. “And they are terrible, honestly, but neither of us can stay away, can we? I will always love Rebekah. You’ll always love the four— well, now five of them, with Freya. Freya, I can tolerate. Rebekah, definitely. Even Kol has been better lately. Elijah and Klaus… they’re just the worst of the bunch.”

Beatrix leaned her head back against the rocks. “I should have stood by you, Marcel. I should have helped you get to a better place after what happened with Davina.”

“I can own up to the fact that I didn’t grieve in a healthy way,” he admitted. “I shouldn’t have lashed out. I saw how grief destroyed you. How it brought you so much regret and made you lose it. I knew it was wrong, and I went through it anyway. I cast you aside when you were just trying to keep me from hurting people. I… I said I didn’t want to hurt Rebekah but I hurt her and you by hurting the three brothers.”

He clasped his hands together. “I’ll be honest. I don’t think I can ever forgive Elijah. I don’t think I can ever forget that he killed me. But the others… in time…”

She took his hands and squeezed them. “I’m so proud of you, Marcel,” she whispered. “You turned out better than all of us.”

He smiled a bit. “Well, I owe it to the wonderful mom I had. You were the one that held me if I cried. The one that showed me how to deal with pain in a healthy way. The one who defended me and read to me. You nursed me when I was sick. You made sure that Klaus never overwhelmed me with materials. You risked your safety to help me be with Rebekah. You came back, every time, and you always took care of me. I… I don’t think I’ve ever told you ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ or anything. You deserve more than that.”

Beatrix leaned her head on his shoulder. “You can thank me once I convince them to let you out of here, alright? And once we defeat The Hollow… we’ll go on a vacation. We’ll bring Sofya with us, if you’d like, and Josh. We’ll have some fun and let loose.”

“I like the sound of that,” Marcel said.

Beatrix remained with him the entire night. She summoned some blood bags that she’d vanished for the both of them to drink. She didn’t try to get out to speak to the others. She enjoyed her time with Marcel, relaying memories and helping him feel like he wasn’t alone. She knew that he deserved freedom, and she would fight for it.

They heard footsteps late the next afternoon, after they’d been laughing at some of the funniest moments they could recall.

It was Hope, carrying a small little toy soldier. “Hi, Aunt Trix,” she said brightly as she approached Marcel. She held up the soldier. “I think this is yours.” 

She tossed it to him and he caught it, observing it with great interest. “Hope,” he said. “I haven’t seen this in a century.”

“So, you’re the little boy who used to live in my house,” she said with great interest. 

“Once upon a time, I lived here with your dad and Aunt Trix, yeah,” answered Marcel.

Hope furrowed her eyebrows. “He keeps you down here because he thinks you want to kill him. Do you?”

Marcel shook his head, but avoided the discussion for the moment. “You’re pretty courageous, you know. Coming down here and talking to a stranger.”

Hope shrugged. “I’m not scared. I’m a Mikaelson witch. And my Aunt Trix is your friend, which means you must be good, too.”

Marcel smiled. “I’ll tell you what, let’s start fresh, alright? It is very good to see you again, Hope Mikaelson. My name’s Marcel.”

“Marcel,” Hope repeated. “Aunt Trix told me about you.”

Beatrix nodded. “Yes, remember that I told you fun stories about how your dad and I had raised another boy?”

Hope giggled. “You told me how my dad tried to teach you both to paint, and you made a big mess.”

Marcel laughed. “I remember that day. I didn’t turn out to be good at art.”

“You’re probably just good at a different type of art,” said Hope seriously. “Aunt Trix said she’s not good at art, but she’s a doctor, and healing people is art.”

Marcel raised his eyebrows. “Hmm, well what can be art for me?”

“I found your books of rhymes,” said Hope. “You were good at reading complicated things. I still had to pause between sentences.”

Beatrix grinned. “Oh, yes, he was very good at reading. He learned very quickly. He could have been cut out for the theater. We used to act out plays from Shakespeare.”

Hope was clearly very interested in Marcel. She sat down across from them and began asking a series of questions, which Marcel and Beatrix took turns answering. It always made Beatrix happy to see how smart her niece was. She used such big words and proposed such intriguing ideas.

“You know,” said Marcel after awhile, “I’m surprised your parents haven’t stormed down here looking for you.”

“My mom trusts me,” said Hope simply.

“Yeah, but your dad’s never trusted anyone in his life.”

Hope made a face. “I know he trusts Aunt Trix a lot. If he took care of you while you were little, why do you hate him? What did he do to you?”

Marcel sighed. “Your dad and Aunt Trix, they raised me together. Your dad made me who I am. Now, you ask if I hate him. Well… it’s hard to hate the person who made you what you are. You just end up hating yourself. The truth is I would like to hate your dad, I really would. It would make things a lot easier. But, um... you can't hate someone who you loved for so long.”

Hope thought it over as Beatrix looked over at Marcel proudly. “Well, that makes sense. He’s like your dad, too, after all. I could never hate my mom.”

“And I could never hate your Aunt Trix,” noted Marcel. “She’s like your mom, to me.”

Hope smiled over at Beatrix. “She was like a mom to me, too. She took care of me and my mom for a long time.”

“Both of you are like my adopted children,” said Beatrix, patting Marcel’s shoulder. “And I am so blessed to have you both in my life. Marcel is all grown up now, but he turned out really well. He’s a good person to look up to, Hope.”

She nodded. “Marcel is my friend,” said Hope confidently. “And—“

But suddenly the ceiling shook, sending dust over them. They heard the sound of grunts and objects breaking upstairs.

“Something’s wrong,” said Hope, standing up. “I have to go.”

“Stop,” said Marcel as he and Beatrix got to their feet. “It’s not safe. Let us out of the circle first.”

“I can’t,” said Hope awkwardly. “My dad will be mad.”

“No, he won’t,” promised Beatrix. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

Hope shook her head. “I can protect myself, and my mom and dad. I'm strong enough to stop the bad guys. I'm stronger than anybody thinks.”

“We know you’re strong,” said Marcel urgently as the ceiling shook again. “That's how I know you can let us out of here. I need you to trust me right now. Your dad rescued me. He and your Aunt Trix raised me, and I knew your mom when she was a baby. We're family. What does your mommy say about family?”

“That we stick together, always and forever,” Hope recited.

“That’s right,” said Beatrix, putting her hand on the invisible barrier. “I know your dad probably wanted me to stay here, but we have to help them. I’ll siphon from in here, and you’ll stop the spell, just how I taught you, alright?”

Hope nodded. “Okay, Aunt Trix,” she said, putting her hand beside hers. The two closed their eyes, and there was the sense of the air clearing after a few seconds. Marcel and Beatrix jumped out as they heard footsteps approaching. 

“He’s down here!”

Marcel grabbed Hope’s shoulders. “I’m going to take you someplace safe. I want you to close your eyes and sing. Beatrix and I will be there soon.”

He sped away with her, and Beatrix turned as three vampires entered the room. She smirked and fake curtsied. “Gentlemen,” she said sweetly.

“Where’s Marcel?” One demanded in a gruff voice.

“Marcel?” She asked innocently. “Hmm… no idea.”

She sped forward to the nearest one, shoving her hand through his chest and letting his heart fall out through the other side. The other two vampires converged on her, but Marcel arrived just then, snapping their necks before biting into both of their necks.

Another vampire came down. Beatrix twisted her wrist, and he cried out in pain. Murmuring under her breath, she flicked her fingers, his heart flying out into her hand. They shoved the four bloody bodies aside, listening to the scuffling dying out upstairs.

“Your hands, come on,” said Beatrix, since both had their arms stained with blood. _“Nazif net.”_

The blood disappeared, and Marcel nodded before speeding them to where Hope was singing softly to herself at the edge of the tunnels. 

“Good job, Hope,” said Marcel as he scooped her up. “All’s well, now. We’re going to go out through the tunnels back to the streets, and we’ll wait for your dad there, alright?”

She nodded, and the three sped out of the opening of the tunnels, appearing back in the French Quarter, but above ground, in the dark streets that had only a few people scattered about walking. They sat on a bench next to a planter with a tree.

Within minutes, Klaus had found them.

“Dad,” said Hope when she saw him. “What happened?”

Klaus’s knuckles were stained with blood. Marcel and Beatrix shared a look, and decided it was best to go. Marcel took her hand and sped her to his penthouse, which Beatrix hadn’t yet visited.

“Wow, this is luxurious,” she mused once they’d both calmed their breathing and he’d poured them some drinks. 

“Looks good though, right?” He took a swig of bourbon. “The more modern aspect was defined fun to add.”

“I bet you compelled the best interior designers,” she chuckled. She looked up at him. “You were really kind to her today. And the way you addressed her questions… you’re a good man, Marcel. You really did turn out better than those of us who raised you.”

“Hey, I learned from the best,” he said, motioning toward her. He then perked up, and the two turned to see Klaus walking through the door. “If you came for a fight,” said Marcel in a warning tone, “it ain’t gonna end well for you.”

“I didn’t come to fight,” said Klaus. He strode in calmly. “You told her to close her eyes and to sing. I used to say that when you were young.”

Marcel hummed. “Yeah, well, she's a better listener than I was. You didn't tell her. About our history.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “Right, yeah. How dare I deny my daughter the heartwarming tale of the boy I loved as a son…”

“... that is now the man you hate enough to keep locked in your basement,” finished Marcel. “Beatrix told her.”

“And she was at perfect liberty to,” said Klaus, ignoring her. “But the thing is— we’re not men, are we, Marcellus? We’re monsters. And I intend to protect my daughter from that truth for as long as I can.”

Marcel looked over at Beatrix before facing Klaus again. “I knew you were a monster from the moment I met you. Now, I may not have known you were a vampire, but I knew you. And when I found out the truth, it made sense why Beatrix had constantly been there to keep you from being too abrasive. Why she had stayed even though you didn’t treat her well. She stayed for me.”

Klaus turned away from the both of them, pretending to admire the paintings on Marcel’s wall. “The Hollow wants the two of us dead. And it will tear through anyone to get what it wants. It doesn't matter who. Elijah, Hayley, Hope. _Beatrix_. I won't let it take them. And I won't let it take you. The only chance we have to survive is if we work together.”

“Alright,” said Marcel faster than Beatrix expected him to. “But are we really going to all work together, or are you two going to keep acting like my divorced mom and dad?”

Klaus and Beatrix shared a look before turning away. “We’re going to act civil,” said Beatrix quietly. “Once The Hollow is defeated, we’ll discuss everything.”

Marcel nodded. “Well, at least this didn’t happen back in the 1820s. I can’t imagine how a custody battle would have happened between you two…”


	64. Chapter 64

**Beatrix felt better during the next few days, but everything quickly went to shit.**

She missed Klaus. They had acted civil and casual despite it feeling so strange. She’d listened as Hayley told them about the Labonairs and The Hollow’s jaw bone and how other families apparently had parts of its body. She had listened to Elijah explaining how he’d murdered four teenage witches for the Harvest ritual in order to restore the link with the Ancestors in hopes of defeating The Hollow. Beatrix had been calm and collected the entire time, even though she wanted to scream.

Hope had been the one that sensed something was off about the bone. Klaus had not been successful in destroying it, and one morning when they had come downstairs for breakfast, Hope had told them about how she could hear the voices of the Ancestors, telling her that she and Hayley were connected to it.

And so, they’d divided. Hayley and Klaus had gone off to St. Anne’s Church to speak with the four Harvest girls. Meanwhile, Beatrix had accompanied Elijah to get Marcel so that they could accept one of the other bones from Alaric, who was bringing it from Mystic Falls after finding it in the Lockwood Mansion.

“Hope is remarkably in tune with magic,” sighed Beatrix as they went up the elevator. “Were it not for her, we’d have had no idea that The Hollow was what was coming for us, or that the Labonairs have something to do with it. If it turns out we’re actually related…”

“I expect that will make your bond with Hayley that much more special,” said Elijah, though he seemed lost in thought.

“You and Hayley seemed tense this morning,” observed Beatrix.

“She was not very amused with what I did to those witch girls. She has never really seen my darker side. She looked appalled.”

Beatrix sighed. “You need to have a talk with her about that, soon.”

“I fear she won’t be very inclined to understanding. It was different with you. We’d known each other over half a century when I let you past the red door with me. That day… it was dedicated just to being vulnerable. You comforted me and comprehended everything you saw and heard. You did not judge me. Hayley…”

“She has never been a killer the way the rest of us were,” Beatrix murmured. “I had killed before, many times, once you took me in there.”

“Yes, but… you went in with such a gentle demeanor. You never once seemed disgusted with what we did. You always accepted our flaws but helped us be better. It was because of you that I gained control and suppressed all the memories.”

They were silent the entire rest of the way, both feeling awkward. Unsure what to say.

Marcel was in his apartment with Sofya. 

“I’m sure your men will find the bones,” said Sofya reassuringly. “By compulsion or alternative forms of persuasion.”

“Of course,” answered Marcel. “Just takes time.”

“Of which we have none,” said Elijah. “We need to talk. If you wouldn’t mind.” He nodded to Sofya, who stepped off to the side. 

“We’re taking a little field trip,” said Beatrix in a positive tone. “We’re meeting an expert shortly. He'll be coming from Mystic Falls, carrying one of the bones and the means to find another. Between the four of us, we should have those remains by sundown.”

Marcel nodded. “I have no problem going with you. But him— why should I trust you, Elijah? And for that matter, why would you trust me?”

Elijah shrugged. “I don’t. But why should we let old grievances hinder our common goal? Here's a proposal.” He brought a very fancy knife— the one Freya had made that could kill Marcel. “You come with us, I surrender the only weapon that can take your life.”

Marcel was obviously intrigued. “Say less. But I’m driving. Where to?”

“Apparently, Jack’s BBQ Shack,” said Beatrix. “I think we’ve been there.”

“Perfect,” said Marcel, waving for them to follow him.

The ride was certainly awkward. Beatrix drummed her fingers on her thighs while she rode in the front seat, looking out at the scenery. Marcel had put on some gentle background music to avoid any conversation. Elijah hadn’t fidgeted at all in the back seat.

They arrived at the restaurant and got out quickly. “Good thing we brought the German sports car,” said Elijah casually as they stepped toward the entrance.

“Says the man in the five thousand dollar suit,” muttered Marcel.

Elijah held up a finger. “Nine… if we’re counting. I’m not a barbarian.”

Marcel and Beatrix shared a look, raising their eyebrows. 

“Your expert better pay off,” said Marcel as they sat at one of the outdoor tables. “Otherwise, we’re wasting time that we don’t have.”

“He will,” promised Beatrix. “Alaric is really knowledgeable about all of this stuff. He isn’t easily fooled.”

“Alaric,” mumbled Marcel. “The guy whose twins you delivered? And whose wedding you crashed?”

Beatrix nodded. “The very same. He’s reliable.”

“He better be.”

Elijah chuckled as if this was funny. “And here I thought we were having a marvelous galactic adventure together.”

Marcel made a face. “You think you're real cute, don't you? Yeah, the only reason that you invited me on on this little road trip is so you could play bodyguard.”

“Baby-sitter,” corrected Elijah.

“Hey,” Beatrix said sternly. “Let’s not—”

“You want to keep my power from falling into the hands of The Hollow, right?” asked Marcel. “Now, see, you're always working some angle to protect your family. At least Klaus is up front about it, but not you with your manners and your suits and your handkerchiefs.”

Elijah was indifferent. “What do you want me to do? We're under threat.”

“I know that, and I know how you handle threats. You made that clear when you tore my heart out five years ago. And just so we're clear now, there's no way I will ever forgive you for that.”

“I don’t expect you to. I certainly never forgave myself.”

They looked at each other, as if they considered fighting it out.

“Alright, Elijah, why don’t you be a dear and go get me a lemonade?” said Beatrix loudly. “And some chicken tenders.”

“Gladly,” said Elijah, going inside. 

Marcel looked back at Beatrix. “Thanks. I really don’t get why he had to come.”

“Well, he heard I was going, and wanted to tag along. He knows Alaric.”

“Not as well as you do, though.”

“Er— Klaus kind of possessed Alaric’s body, so to an extent, they kinda do. I haven’t spoken that much to Alaric. I just kind of delivered his twins.”

“That’s a pretty big task. I—”

Her phone began to ring, and she looked down to see Alaric was calling her. She picked up. “Wow, I’m surprised you still have my number in your phone,” she said. “I thought you deleted it.”

“How am I supposed to delete the number of the lady who helped bring my daughters to this world? If I ever need a siphon doctor…”

“Lovely. Your voice sounds a bit strained. Were you running?”

“No, I actually blew up my car. Can you meet me on Route 59?”

“Sure,” she said, not even questioning him. “Stay put.”

She hung up as Elijah came out with her chicken tenders and lemonade. “Right on time,” she said pleasantly. “We’re going to meet Alaric down on Route 59.”

She very gladly munched on her chicken tenders on the short drive there, offering one each to Marcel and Elijah, who accepted in order to avoid having to talk. They found Alaric covered in ash and dirt next to a flaming car.

“You’re a total dad,” observed Beatrix when she saw the type of car he had. “What happened?”

“Well,” he said, “aside from forfeiting my lease, I blew up one of those vampire-witch combos when she tried to take the bone. Another Heretic.”

“What?” said Beatrix in disbelief. “That’s not possible. Last I heard, Valerie Tulle is the only Heretic left aside from me. I’m pretty sure one of us would be aware if there was another Heretic around. What did she look like?”

“Brunette, gorgeous, lace top. Black jacket, glowing blue eyes.”

Marcel cursed. “Sofya. The Hollow's inside Sofya, probably using her.”

“So she’s a temporary Heretic,” muttered Beatrix. “Fucking hell.”

“We have to find a way to save her,” said Marcel immediately.

“Or put her out of her misery,” said Elijah.

Marcel glared at him. “I'm sorry. What? Did I hear that right? Oh, that's right. That is the Mikaelson way, isn't it? I mean, why try to save someone when you can just kill 'em?”

Alaric held his hands up. “Hey, I love a good grudge just as much as the next guy, but do you want to stand around whining about a missing finger bone, or do you want to talk about a ledger that points us to where the other bones might be?”

The two men were silent, and Alaric kept talking, “I studied the records, and I got a family name... Del Robles. Bloodline ends ten years ago, and according to the Lockwood records, somebody in that family is buried with one of those mystical bones.”

“Where are they buried?” asked Beatrix.

“Black Clay Cemetery in the Tremé.”

“That cemetery was redeployed,” said Marcel. “Too much flooding. Now the bodies were moved to two separate locales... The Haves and the Have Nots.”

“Del Robles— aristocracy,” said Beatrix. 

“Then their crypt would have been moved to St. Ailbhe Cemetery,” said Marcel.

Alaric held his thumbs up. “Yeah, that sounds like fun, but on the way, can you drop me off at the ER? Thanks.”

Beatrix and Alaric ended up in the backseat this time so that she could do some healing magic on the worst of the wounds before dropping him off at the ER, since he didn’t want vampire blood. Aside from their conversation about what was hurting, the other two men didn’t talk. It was awkward enough with the two of them in the front seat. To diffuse some tension, Alaric showed Beatrix some pictures of Josie and Lizzie in costumes.

After they dropped him off at the nearest ER, they sped to the St. Ailbhe Cemetery, and found the Del Robles crypt in one of the main buildings. 

Beatrix stopped in front of the rusted doors and read the words carved in. “ _‘Nuestro corazón siempre va a defender esta tierra.’_ Our hearts will always defend this land. That’s a clue.”

“Let’s get to work, then,” said Elijah as Marcel opened the doors. 

Rather than breaking through several mounds of bones, they looked at the names for any sort of hint. Elijah was the one who found it. “Olivia Tierra Del Robles,” he read on one of the markers. “Tierra, of course, means land. As in all the hearts will defend it.”

Marcel nodded. “Watch yourself—” He punched into the stone of the crypt and tore it off, revealing a long bone by itself.

“Wow, a femur,” said Beatrix, pulling it out and handing it to Marcel.

“Why did you do that?” Elijah asked immediately.

“Because it’s the best strategy,” answered Marcel. “You have one of the bones already. The smart play would be to keep them divided, yet still in the hands of an ally you trust. So I guess you're just gonna have to trust me, Elijah. Beatrix does.”

But of course, Elijah wasn’t about to do that so easily. He slammed Marcel into the nearest wall, holding Freya’s knife to his neck.

“Seriously?” snapped Beatrix as she pulled Elijah off. “Just let him have it, for fuck’s sake— he’s not going to go hand it to Sofya.”

“I don’t have to trust anyone,” Elijah spat to Marcel.

“Careful, Elijah,” Marcel said lowly. “Your true colors are starting to show. Yeah... You may talk a big game, but when it comes down to it, you'll always be a poster boy for violence first. Always and forever.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Beatrix suggested. “Sofya had a headstart, and—”

They heard the sound of clapping, and turned back toward an angel statue near the window of the crypt. Sofya emerged from it. “Men and their silly posturing,” she sighed, looking to Beatrix. “They should know better, shouldn’t they? After all, your prize already belongs to me.”

Marcel took a tentative step forward. “Sofya, I know you're still in there.”

She nodded. “Yes, she is. Strong soul rattling around in a dying shell. But like all the rest of you, she's nothing compared to me. One last time. Give me what I seek.”

“Why don’t you come get it?” challenged Elijah. 

“Fair enough,” said The Hollow with a shrug. “So long as you’re prepared to die.”

She flicked her wrist and sent the three flying in different directions, crashing painfully into the stone around them. “Now, the game comes to an end,” sighed The Hollow, heading for the femur, which now lay on the floor.

“Not just yet,” came Hayley’s voice. Beatrix struggled to get to her feet as she saw Hayley walking up. She took the knife from Elijah and cut into her palm, pushing the blood onto Sofya’s skin, and making her recoil. “Hurts, huh? My blood?”

The Hollow laughed maliciously. “Whoever told you how to destroy me left a little something out. Trapping me requires the release of power. The kind you get when you sacrifice the life of an immortal. So tell me, which one of you will die to stop me? I’ll make it easier— choose between you three. Beatrix here is to be my host. I won’t stand for her death.”

“No one is dying today,” said Marcel in a strained voice. The impact had left him, Elijah, and Beatrix feeling weak, almost as if they were human again.

“Well then, I guess we’re done,” said The Hollow, flicking her wrist again and throwing Hayley back into the wall. She snatched up the femur and sped away before they could do anything.

Elijah managed to stand and pulled Hayley to her feet. “Are you okay?”

“I think someone’s gonna die,” Hayley panted. “Davina has Klaus.”

“Damn it,” coughed Beatrix as she clawed her way up. “What— what did you learn?”

“She’s a Labonair,” said Hayley breathlessly. “When she was first killed, she created the werewolf curse. She’s been wanting to kill Hope and I because we are the key to destroying her. You’re the perfect vessel for her because you’re her blood, but you’re not a Labonair. It all makes sense…”

“So Davina needs to conduct a sacrifice to put The Hollow down for good,” mumbled Marcel.

Elijah looked very worried. “Davina will not hesitate.”

“Let’s get to her, then,” said Marcel. “Link hands.” 

The instant they did, he sped them the entire way to St. Anne’s Church. They entered as quietly as they could. 

“You should wait here,” whispered Hayley, beckoning Elijah to remain behind. “She still blames the Mikaelsons for what happened. You'll just make it worse.”

He nodded and hung back as Beatrix and Marcel walked down the center aisle toward where Davina was standing over Klaus’s unconscious body. He was trapped in a salt circle, which meant a boundary spell.

“Davina,” said Marcel as they moved toward her.

“Don’t try to stop me!” she said immediately. “If I don't kill Klaus, if I don't put down the Hollow, she'll come for all of you. She'll burn the entire city.”

“Davina, please,” said Beatrix, forcing herself not to look at Klaus. “There has to be another way.”

Davina shook her head. “No. I was just waiting for the weapon, but now that you're here... I'm sorry. But you need to kill him, Marcel.”

“No,” he said firmly. “No, Davina, I won’t.”

“He’s lived ten lifetimes!” she exclaimed. “That’s more than enough!”

“He’s Hope’s father,” pleaded Hayley desperately from behind them. 

“She’ll still have you,” said Davina. “And she’ll have Beatrix. If we don’t stop The Hollow, then Hope will die. You can save her, Marcel. And everyone in New Orleans.”

Elijah decided that he could no longer wait behind, and stepped forward into the light. “Stop this. This is about your grievances with me.”

Davina didn’t care about his presence. “This has nothing to do with you. This is about a sacrifice. One death for the greater good.”

“Then take me,” said Elijah, speeding up to her. 

“Elijah, no!” cried Hayley in disbelief.

“If indeed there is no other way… then end this now,” Elijah continued, ignoring Hayley.

“No, no, no!” Marcel said loudly. “Nobody’s dying today.”

Davina just frowned. “Then I’ll do it myself.”

She raised her hand and Beatrix, Hayley, and Elijah were forced to the ground, crying out in agony as their heads began to ache, as though Davina was making their brains hemorrhage. She flicked her wrist and Marcel was forced down, yelling loudly as his fangs were forced out, his venom dropping onto the tile floor.

“Davina, please!” cried Beatrix, trying to claw her way forward.

“You don’t have to do this!” Hayley wailed.

“I’m sorry,” said Davina as they all tried to protest against her, watching the venom sliding down the floor and toward an open wound created on Klaus’s hand. “It’s the only way.”

“NO!”

The spell dropped on the four as Hope walked up, looking angry. “You promised to help, but you’re not helping. You’re hurting us, and I won’t let you!”

It was the most impressive thing that Beatrix had ever seen her niece do. Without any words, she had burst out so much power, that Davina was knocked out of the mortal plane. The salt circle blew apart, and Beatrix’s ears popped, as though the air pressure had changed. Seconds later, Klaus shot awake, and Hope ran to him, pulling him into a hug.

**_**

Beatrix went to pick Alaric up at the ER before bringing him to the Compound so that he could get one of the available cars and make his way back to Mystic Falls. She had left him briefly to go and check on Klaus, who was having a drink on the balcony.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly. 

“I’m not dead, love,” he said bluntly. “I’m perfectly alright.”

“Just because we’re not together doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. The point is that I will always care about you.”

“You continue to insist on it,” he muttered. “It doesn’t matter when The Hollow is defeated, Beatrix. There will always be a threat. And I will always end up putting you in harm’s way. End this and just accept that.”

“This is a one-fucking-sided breakup, Klaus! I don’t want to be away from you!”

“What do I need to do? Threaten to pull your heart out again? How will you ever understand that I’m toxic? The way you act, one would think you want to be hurt. That you seek out pain and torment.”

“But—”

“Do not argue!” he snapped, turning to face her. “You saw goodness in that siphon boy and in the end, he did not come through! He did not turn out to be the man you thought he was, during those intimate moments! We’re all good at acting on falsehoods, love, don’t be a fool! Just because we have moments where we act all proper doesn’t mean we aren’t ruthless. I am inherently bad, and that will not change! I will not change for you, no matter how hard you try. I will always be the big bad wolf Klaus Mikaelson. You should be with someone who you trust won’t hurt you when he gets cross. I’m volatile. I’m evil. I’m barely a good enough father for my daughter, and she is my priority, not you. I cannot cope with a relationship, Beatrix— not now and not for several decades in the future.”

She stared at him. “You should have just said that,” she said quietly. “I never meant for you to feel pressured into being my boyfriend or anything.”

“I do not want us to be an item, ever,” he insisted. “Friends. That’s what I want. No sleeping together. No romantic gestures. Bloody hell, Beatrix, I never took you out on a proper date in these past six years. All we did was go to bed with one another! How can you possibly want me, when you didn’t get a proper taste of what kind of partner I would be, nowadays? I don’t want to have this conversation again. We are finished.”

She chose not to argue. She saw Alaric coming over and cleared her throat, walking toward him. “Nice seeing you again,” she said. “Safe trip back.”

She was headed to her room when Elijah caught her in the hall.

“Accompany me, if you would please,” he said softly.

“Where to?” she asked.

“I am going to give this knife to Marcel. To do the right thing.”

They took the long way. Rather than speeding there, Elijah chose to drive. They were silent at first, listening to the radio. But then, Beatrix let out a loud sigh.

“I’m never getting Klaus back, am I?” she murmured.

Elijah sighed and shook his head. “My brother is so concerned that he will lose you at the hands of our enemy, that he pushed you away instead, so that you were lost at his hand instead. It makes it easier to bear.”

She leaned back into the seat. “Fucking fantastic.”

“Hayley does not appear to be pleased with me, either. She was distraught that I offered myself up as a sacrifice to Davina, earlier. I haven’t been able to speak with her about the red door yet. You, my dear Itza, are the only one who ever understands my way of thinking. You know how much sacrifice means to me, because you know me best. I didn’t think it would cause her to feel this frustrated with me. I thought it made sense. Hope needs both her parents. One less uncle won’t harm her.”

Beatrix nodded. “Yeah… well, you saw how Klaus reacted when he found out what I proposed to Vincent. I think that after everything we went through before we got together, and what happened while we were together with Rayna Cruz and the Gemini Coven and me being trapped in the Compound… we want, more than anything, the best for others. We’re used to sacrificing our happiness for other people. And we both love Hope so much. We would lay our lives down for her. We admitted to each other such deep feelings that we could never imagine anyone else feeling such devastation, so we let ourselves get hurt for the sake of those we love. It’s what sets you apart from your siblings, Elijah. You are noble not because you don’t have blood on your hands, but because you do it for family and not for fun. Because you own up to it and know that collateral damage will happen when you try to protect your loved ones.”

He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “Thank you, for this,” he murmured. “I think I need to tell that all to Hayley… if I can remember it in detail.”

Beatrix chuckled. “Well, I can embed the memory into your brain, if it helps. Just be honest with her, the way you were with me. She’s going to be there for you. You two have something special.”

“Thank you,” said Elijah again. “For not being judgmental. For offering advice. I do not deserve you.”

“All I ask of you is that you don’t hide things from her. She’s a queen. You need to do your part and ensure she’s well informed, so that she can do the same.”

“Eventually,” murmured Elijah once they reached the elevator and went up to Marcel’s penthouse, “I think, perhaps, I can do the same with him. He may never forgive me, but I want him to know that I am, from the bottom of my soul, sorry for what I did to him.”

“That’s a good start,” said Beatrix with a smile. “I’m proud of you, Elijah. You’ve been doing really well.”

He smiled back at her as the elevator doors opened. They walked up the hall and found that the entrance of Marcel’s penthouse was breached. The door was ajar, and the inside was dark. Elijah put a finger on his lips to indicate for her to be quiet as they stepped in, slowly.

How Beatrix wished they’d left rather than go in. The door slammed shut behind them, and she turned, seeing no one there. Next thing, she heard a loud grunt, and looked back to see Sofya had plunged a stake, wrapped in thorns, into Elijah’s back.

“No!” she cried, staggering back fearfully as Sofya looked at her with a sadistic smile.

“Are you ready to die, Elijah?” she crooned as he collapsed on the floor. “Because I’m quite ready to live. And you, Beatrix La Salle, are going to make that happen.”

“Never,” said Beatrix, stumbling back to the door and trying desperately to open it. She knew her magic wouldn’t work against The Hollow. “I won’t help you!”

“Well, I wasn’t going to ask for your permission either way,” said The Hollow, flicking her wrists and snapping Beatrix’s neck.


	65. Chapter 65

**“Itza.”**

Her eyes opened at the sound of Elijah in pain. She was on the ground, her hands shackled together. They were in the familiar carpenter’s workshop that’d been Beatrix’s home. The Heretic suspected that The Hollow’s magic was stronger here, because of her relation to Ixazaluoh.

Beatrix sat up and managed to see that Elijah lay a few feet away from her, trapped inside of a boundary spell made of salt, runes, herbs, and candles. She could feel the power radiating off of it.

“Elijah!” she gasped, struggling to move toward him. “Hold on— just— I’ll move over and I’ll siphon—”

“Not going to happen.”

They looked up to see The Hollow, still in Sofya’s body. “Tsk, you silly girl, you can’t even realize that you’re missing something.” She held up a very dusty piano key. “This is what you put it in before, hmm? I found the exact key… it had been in a dark cabinet belonging to a music instructor who kept forgetting to take the key over to a repair shop. You’ll get this back once I go into your body, while I wait for mine to be ready.”

“How did you take my magic?” demanded Beatrix. She tried to stand up, but gave a cry of pain, a snapping sound being heard as her leg broke beneath her.

“It was very easy,” said The Hollow, smiling through Sofya’s features. “As for the pain… don’t try and move too much. I performed a very lovely little spell that’ll break your bones if you try and resist me. You should probably limit any struggling… your arms are already doing quite poorly with my influence. Black veins, again… tsk. Won’t be a problem for much longer.”

“Let her go,” Elijah panted hoarsely, his face beaded with sweat. He still had the thorned stake in his back, and he was clearly in a great deal of pain. “I-I’ll die— not her.”

The Hollow smirked. “I don’t need her to die. In fact, it’s imperative that she lives.”

He tried to stand, but gave out a groan as he was unable to get a proper hold. 

“Such a will to live,” sighed The Hollow. “Wouldn’t it be easier to give in? To simply let go? Part of you must crave that peace. The silence of the nothing that lasts forever.”

Elijah glared up the best he could. “Why don’t you come a little closer… and we’ll find it together.”

The Hollow hummed. “You’ll have enough company. When you die, so, too, does your entire sire line. The great sacrifice that will return me to flesh and blood. All I need now is the last of my remains for the ritual. Your family has done the job of finding them, and they should be coming to me soon enough.”

“Just kill me instead, damnit,” said Beatrix, whimpering as she felt her bones repairing themselves slower than usual. “Let him go.”

She moved forward and gripped Beatrix by the throat, standing her up. Immediately, her legs started to break again, and the Heretic screamed, crumpling back to the floor. “So fragile,” murmured The Hollow. “Nothing compared to an Original…”

“You can’t expect to torment my family and survive,” said Elijah, twitching from the pain.

“I survived far worse fates than your family,” said The Hollow coldly. “I say let them come. They will try to save you from the poison coursing through your veins, and in doing so, they will give me what I want. And as a reward for their efforts, I will let your family watch as you finally die.”

She walked out, and Beatrix bit her lip hard, drawing blood as she turned onto her side to look at Elijah. “Damn it,” she said weakly. “I need— I need to siphon the barrier spell from you…”

“No,” he panted. “Save yourself. My death— is inevitable. The key—”

They could both see the piano key left on a table near the door, but neither could reach it. Beatrix wouldn’t be able to make it that far without her bones breaking all over.

“I can’t,” she whispered, trying to crawl across the floor. She cried out as her fingers began to break. “Fuck— damn it—”

“Preparations,” panted Elijah. “Need— need to make preparations. Listen to me.”

“What are you talking about?” she said, trying to keep her eyes open. The pain was more blinding without her magic.

“My will— my possessions—”

“You’re not dying! Elijah, don’t give up— that’s what she wants—”

“Listen!” he croaked, shutting his eyes and seizing for a bit against the ground. “Don’t have long… I will die…”

“You’re not going to bloody die!” Beatrix snapped. “Stop talking like that!”

He tried to move again, but was unable to. She rolled her body closer, but simply crashed into the boundary spell. She could provide no comfort.

“Take care of Hayley,” he whispered. “Tell her… tell her that I am so sorry…”

“Elijah, stop it!” said Beatrix, beginning to tear up. “D-Don’t talk like that…”

“Leave my money... to Hope,” he panted. “She can do with it… what she pleases…”

“E-Elijah, shut up!” Beatrix whimpered, causing herself more pain as she moved. Her arms felt like they were on fire as her fingers repaired themselves. She could just visualize how blackened her veins looked. Her side would start aching like mad, soon…

“To you and Hayley,” he continued, “I leave… my possessions. Sell them or keep them. My journals… for you. My car… for Hayley.”

“SHUT UP!” she screamed as loudly as she could. “Stop it— stop it! We— we have to figure out how to get out, how to heal you!”

“My darling Itza,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s of no use. I will not survive this. I am sorry… that I didn’t treat you better…”

She started to sob. “Elijah, damn it— you’re not helping! I just— need to wait to heal, so that I can get the piano key! I’ll take back my magic and siphon the spell off!”

The door opened again, and The Hollow strode back in, looking smug. “Shh, Elijah, it won’t be long now…”

“Even if you finish this,” Elijah growled, “my family will bury you.”

“They will no doubt try,” said The Hollow, coming over to the two of them. “Though I believe the odds are in my favor. Once the ritual is completed, my spirit will return to New Orleans' soil. From it, I will be reborn far stronger than I have ever been.”

“They’ll slay you,” Beatrix snarled. “You’ll be just another body that will be torn into…”

“You think Klaus will avenge the two of you?” said The Hollow. “Inspired, perhaps, by duty to the familial bond. I've been inside Klaus' mind.” She kneeled in front of Elijah. “You care for one another so deeply. It's quite ludicrous, this dedication to one's own blood. After all, look where it got you. Perhaps now you understand: family is a curse. We inherit the sins of those who come before us, and those sins are passed to the ones who come next. Like... your little niece.”

“No!” cried Elijah as loudly as he could. “No! You will never—”

“Hurt her?” finished The Hollow innocently, extracting Papa Tunde’s blade. Beatrix had no idea how she had it, but she felt her chest tighten in fear as The Hollow examined it. “Why? Because your family will protect her? You poor soul. You can’t even save each other. But your niece?” She let the side of the blade slide over Elijah’s jaw, making him twitch in more discomfort. “She who’s born of my bloodline? She has the power to destroy me, and that... I cannot allow.”

She lifted the blade and came to Beatrix. “Klaus doesn’t even want you, and yet, you fight for his daughter as if it will win him back,” she crooned, putting the tip of the blade against Beatrix’s forehead. “Pathetic, really. Don’t worry, once I have my body, yours will be put aside, should I ever need it again. I will rip your soul to shreds and keep this vessel packaged safely. You’ll never have to deal with that hybrid again. And I’ll be doing you the mercy of not having to watch your niece die. Because she will… inevitably… die.”

“You won’t get her,” Beatrix snapped, her chest rising and falling rapidly out of fear as The Hollow dragged the blade down to her chest. “I won’t let you.”

The Hollow smirked. “It is amusing to think that you have a choice. For now, you have only two purposes. One, watch Elijah die. Two… keep this safe for me.”

Beatrix let out a loud, anguished cry as The Hollow thrust the blade into her. Elijah roared out angrily, trying to do something, but with the stake in his back and the poison coursing through his veins, he couldn’t even get closer to the edge of the boundary spell. Beatrix sobbed and screamed as the blade sank itself into her, before her head finally dropped down weakly.

It was the worst thing she had ever experienced.

She thought it had hurt when they had torn out her heart. She thought it had hurt when she lost Kai the first time. She thought it had hurt when the Strix tortured her for a month.

But this was another level of excruciating suffering.

It was as though every high pitched sound was tearing into her eardrums. She could hear screaming, but she knew it was only the repeated echo of her own, from when the blade was first shoved in. It felt like her organs were being torn out one by one, all while her chest was on fire. She had the sensation of being stabbed in her legs over and over. She could see nothing but darkness, and felt more afraid and alone than she ever had in her life. She completely forgot that Elijah was meant to be right next to her. 

It felt like years having it inside, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hours. Beatrix felt it being ripped out, and everything was blurry for the instants afterward. She heard rushed voices… it sounded like Freya and Hayley. Someone put their hands on her head. There was blue light and chanting. Someone else picked her up and put something into her hands. She tried to understand what was happening, but could comprehend nothing. 

When she regained her full consciousness, she was in her room, and the piano key rested on the pillow beside hers. Her limbs were sore as she turned to get it, and someone appeared in front of her, making her flinch.

“It’s just me,” said Hayley softly. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”

“What happened?” Beatrix whispered. “The Hollow— she kidnapped me. And Elijah— Elijah! Where is he?”

Hayley turned away, and Beatrix heard the softest of sobs.

“No,” whispered Beatrix. “No… no…”

“H-He’s stuck in Freya’s pendant,” Hayley managed. “We— we d-don’t know if we’ll be able to g-get him out.”

“What do you mean? Why—”

“We got there and you were barely conscious. Freya did a spell first to block The Hollow from entering your body. B-But the cure we had for Elijah— it was smashed. She barely put him in the pendant, but The Hollow was reborn anyway. It broke… b-but Hope heard him in there… Freya is going to do a spell to g-get him back.”

“What day is it?” Beatrix asked, trying to get up, but groaning and slumping back.

“The morning after. We’re doing the spell today.”

“I need to get up,” Beatrix said, grasping the piano key. She felt the magic flow back into her body, and took a few seconds before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. “I have to help Freya. The longer we wait, the more we risk him being permanently lost in there.”

“You should be resting,” Hayley said, trying to coax her back into the bed. “You’re in no state to be helping.”

Beatrix looked down at her arms and saw they were still blackened. “Nonsense. I’ll use this as fuel for the spell.”

Hayley shook her head. “Freya doesn’t think—”

“Freya isn’t in my body, so she doesn’t know what I can handle. I can do this. She’ll need someone to hold the spell while she goes into the pendant, alright? Just please— help me up.”

Hayley conceded, and pulled her to her feet. “Rebekah and Kol are on their way. The vampires from Elijah’s sireline— they’ve all died by now.”

Beatrix huffed. “The Strix… Tristan…”

“Finally,” whispered Hayley.

“Good riddance… next is Aurora, I suppose. She can’t remain asleep forever.”

“We’ll deal with that once The Hollow is no more. Come on.”

Hayley helped her down to the dining room, where she got her some blood bags to drink before taking her to living room, where Freya was preparing for the spell.

“Hayley,” said Freya impatiently. “I told you not to—”

“I refused,” said Beatrix, moving forward. “I can do this spell, alright?”

They heard footsteps, and Klaus entered the room. “Rebekah and Kol just landed. I just assured them we're mere moments from returning our brother to life. Don't make me a liar.”

Freya made a face. “I can't resurrect Elijah until I'm certain his mind is whole.”

Klaus looked exasperated. “Well, you saved Finn with that very trinket. What's the problem?”

“When that pendant was shattered, Elijah's mind shattered with it. He's most likely retreated to the innermost of his consciousness.”

“How do we find that?” asked Hayley.

Freya pursed her lips. “I don't know. It could be anywhere in over a thousand years of memories, but if I try fixing the pendant before finding him and healing his mind; he'll be permanently fractured, like casting a broken bone before it's been properly set.”

Klaus groaned. “Spare me the medical analogies and fix him.” 

Freya held her hands up to motion him to calm down. “I need to go inside and find him. Once I'm sure his mind is stable, then I can fix the pendant. Since Beatrix insists on helping, she’ll hold the spell from out here.”

Klaus cast her a look before looking back at his sister. “Well then, stop talking and get in there.”

“Klaus,” Hayley said sharply. “Take a walk. Get some air. Let them work, please.”

Reluctantly, Klaus listened, and Hayley turned to the two witches as Beatrix knelt and prepared the salt and herb runes needed. “Please tell me that you two can do this.”

“He’s my brother,” said Freya. “I'm not gonna stop until he's safe.”

“He may not be my brother, but I’m not stopping until he’s safe, either,” said Beatrix, waving her hand delicately over the ground to create the runes. “This is very precise stuff. It’s dangerous if we don’t do this quickly.”

By the time she had finished the runes and was adding the candles, Rebekah and Kol had arrived. They were only able to give each other some very hasty hellos and good luck statements, because the spell was ready to be performed.

“You actually think you can pull this off?” asked Hayley worriedly.

Freya bit her lip as Beatrix went to stand at the table with Esther’s grimoire. “I don’t know. I’ve never actually tried this before.”

“But we’ll do our best,” promised Beatrix. She felt lightheaded, but soon, that would fade. “We’re not going to give up.”

Hayley shifted on her feet as Freya laid down inside of the salt and runes circle. “There a thousand years of memories in there. How will you know which is the right one?

“He'll recognize me,” she said confidently. “If I can find the core of his being or whatever memory he's clinging to, I'll pull him out. Ready, Beatrix?”

“Ready,” said the Heretic.

Together, the women began to chant, “ _Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz._ ”

Beatrix continued to chant even when Freya grew quieter. She felt the burning in her veins disappearing, and let out a breath of relief once she stopped feeling dizzy. Hayley paced around the room, looking between her and the Mikaelson witch on the ground. 

“Can you channel me, or something, so it works better?” asked Hayley after about five minutes, feeling impatient because she wasn’t doing anything.

Beatrix nodded as she chanted. She offered her hand, and was ready to take it, when Freya sat up suddenly, gasping for air.

“Freya!” cried Hayley, rushing to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I thought I found him,” she said shakily as she got up. “But… but he vanished right in front of me. That's not our only problem. I can't search Elijah's mind and sustain a spell at the same time. It’s not enough with Beatrix.”

“What if you sent me in?” asked Hayley.

“That would require even more power,” muttered Beatrix. 

“You both stay here and anchor the spell,” Hayley insisted. “He'll respond to me. Send me in, Freya, I can find him. Nobody's closer to Elijah than I am.”

Beatrix bit her lip. “It’s still risky. We need to channel a more powerful witch. A Mikaelson witch.”

“No,” Hayley said. “Not Hope— she’s too young for this.”

“She’s young, but she’s strong,” said Freya. “Beatrix has taught her spells. She’s stronger than both of us were at her age. Hayley, I would never hurt my niece, ever. She’d just need to repeat the words and hold our hands. It won’t harm her.”

Hayley sighed. “Fine. Be right back.”

Beatrix turned to Freya. “Is this a good idea?”

“Hayley knows him well,” Freya said, though she sounded doubtful. “She’ll get him back.”

Hayley returned with Hope, who seemed rather excited to help out with the spell.

“You don’t have to do this if you don't want to,” said Hayley, cupping her daughter’s face.

Hope smiled. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m not afraid.”

Hayley kissed her forehead before laying down in the circle. Hope came over and stood between Freya and Beatrix, holding their hands. 

“Ready?” asked Beatrix as Hayley smoothed back her hair.

The hybrid nodded. “So he's just in there somewhere, clinging to broken memories?”

“The core of his being has retreated deep into his subconscious, but, yes, he's still in there,” responded Freya.

“And I just search until I find him?”

“There are too many memories for you to randomly search. You have to think, where would Elijah find refuge? It has to be somewhere that represents the fundamental basis of who he is. Hopefully, that's a good place. When you find it, draw him out and wake him up. But be careful, his mind is unstable.”

Hayley gulped. “Mom?” said Hope, peeking over at her. “Be careful.”

“I’ll be right back, sweetie,” whispered the hybrid before the two older witches began to chant. Once Hope got the hang of what they were saying, she joined in.

“ _Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz._ ”

It seemed as though Hayley would be successful. Her body remained still, and the strength of the spell was enough to keep her quite safe while she was in there. Hope was doing very well, and with the three combined, they could have probably managed to send another two people in.

“ _Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz._ _Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz._ ”

Suddenly, Hayley’s body began to seize. She shuddered on the ground, and Hope was the first to notice. “Mom!”

She disconnected from Beatrix and Freya and ran to her mother’s side. “Aunt Freya— Aunt Trix— do something!” She shook her, as if trying to wake her. “Come back, Mom, come back!”

“I need to go in with her,” said Beatrix, tying up her hair. “Something’s wrong. Damn it— I should have offered to go instead.” She went to Hope and put her hands on her shoulders. “I need you to listen to me. I’m going to go in and get your mom. But you need to stay here and help Aunt Freya do the spell so that both of us will be okay. Do you think you can do that?”

Hope looked afraid, but she nodded, and Beatrix beckoned her back to Freya. The two Mikaelson witches linked hands as the Heretic laid beside Hayley.

“Do you know where she might be?” asked Freya as Hope started to chant.

Beatrix nodded. “The red door. No other place would leave her body in such distress.” She let her head rest back and closed her eyes, chanting in unison with the other two to get herself into Elijah’s subconscious. “ _Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz._ ”

She was suddenly in a room that was completely white. There was an incredibly long hallway before her, with handsomely polished doors on each side bearing different markings. Ahead, on her right, was a battered red door, and there were screams coming from it. Beatrix could hear Hayley, begging, demanding for Elijah to let her go.

She sped through, already knowing what to expect. Bodies littering the floor of a run down cabin. A dark aura and fog. A vast forest of trees. The stench of blood everywhere, and the crunching of throats being torn out. Of course Elijah would have retreated here. Beatrix should have known, she should have said something, she shouldn’t have let Hayley come in. She had never seen that side of Elijah, and it would terrify her.

She found them at last. Elijah was trying to kill her. His palm around her throat, slamming her body into trees. Hayley screamed and tried to claw her way out, but he was simply too strong.

“Elijah!” Beatrix snapped, pulling him off of her. He whirled to face her, and she caught a punch as he threw it. “Hayley— run. Get out of the room, no matter what you hear. Now.”

She was too scared to argue. She sped off, and Elijah made to pursue, but Beatrix flicked her wrist and sent him flying back.

“You love music,” she said loudly as she walked toward him. “You’re a skilled pianist. You tried to teach me to play the way that you do, but you couldn’t.”

He growled and lunged at her, but she simply sent him back again. “You taught Marcel to read Shakespeare. You introduced me to Albert Camus. You serenaded me the day I turned two hundred.”

“NO!” he roared, trying to subdue her. He simply couldn’t. 

“You remember me,” she said, kneeling in front of him as she moved her fingers and kept him stuck on the ground. “You know who I am. You wouldn’t dare hurt me. I’ve been here before and I know exactly how to get you out. We figured it out before, remember? I remind you of things you did. Good things. Qualities that you have. It reminds you that you are more than this, doesn’t it?”

He snarled and tried to fight off her magical hold. But he wasn’t fighting as hard. He was remembering.

“Your name is Elijah,” she continued, louder this time. “You are the third born Mikaelson. The second son born to Esther. Elder brother of Klaus, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik. You love the performing arts, while your brother loves the visual arts. You made a pact with your siblings— Always and Forever. You’re the uncle to Hope. My family. Me. You remember me, don’t you? Itza Beatrix La Salle. You’re the first person that I told my real name to. That was after I first came in here. I told you it meant ‘sorceress of the water’ because I was born in the Bayou.”

He was not fighting anymore. He slowed down his breaths. “I love music,” he whispered. “I am a skilled pianist. I’m the brother of Freya, Finn, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik.”

“That’s right,” said Beatrix. “And you’re stronger than this. You rise above it. You’re safe. Here. Take my hand.”

She let up the spell and offered her palm to him. He took it and stood up, looking into her eyes as though he finally remembered who she was.

“Itza,” he whispered. “Itza Beatrix La Salle.”

She smiled. “Yes. Now, let’s go out of the room, okay?”

He nodded, and she sped them to the door. She took a tentative step forward, to see if he would resist. He didn’t. Pushing open the red door, she led him out into the hallway.

He emerged with his hair tidy, dressed in a suit. Before, he’d been donning his long hair and his Viking attire, from when he was human.

Hayley was waiting for them, and she flinched as Elijah took a step toward her. Beatrix stepped between them. 

“Hayley,” said the Heretic gently. “Tell Freya it’s safe to fix the pendant, alright?” She wove her hand and sent Hayley back out.

Elijah let out a shaky breath. “I hurt her,” he whispered. “I hurt her…”

“And you will prepare one hell of an apology, won’t you?” Beatrix said, looking up at him.

Elijah nodded, but he had a faraway look in his eyes. “You got me out.”

“Of course I did, ‘Lijah. I remember what we did last time.”

“I never lost control with you…”

“The Hollow hadn’t killed you at that point.” She cupped his face. “Breathe. You’re safe.”

A bright white light engulfed them as Freya fixed the pendant. Beatrix awoke to see Hayley hugging Hope, her body shaking.

The hybrid turned back to face her, and it was clear that she didn’t know what she wanted to tell her. Cradling her daughter’s head against her shoulder, she looked at Beatrix and just shook her head.

She was traumatized.


	66. Chapter 66

**Beatrix did her best to comfort Hayley.**

Without words, she had brought her breakfast. She’d helped Hope get ready for the day. She drew the hybrid a bath and did some magic to keep the water bubbling like a jacuzzi. She made her bed and helped put away her clothes. 

Hayley’s eyes darted all over the place. She looked anxious. Expecting the Elijah she saw behind the red door to burst out and strangle her.

“I think,” said Beatrix quietly when she found her pacing in her room, “you can go and talk to him. He’s still desiccated, and he won’t be able to respond, but it might help you.”

Hayley put a hand on her mouth and swallowed hard. “I should…” but she didn't sound eager.

“No pressure. You can practice whatever you want to say when he wakes up.”

The hybrid nodded. “Yeah…” she looked up. “How did you do it? How could you… see that and not… lose it?”

“By the time I went in with him, I’d already done several terrible things. I was no stranger to violence. I’d seen how unhinged Kol, Klaus, and Rebekah could be. I expected Elijah had his torments, too. I knew what I was going to walk into when he let me into his mind. I knew what to expect. But he wanted me to know and I did my best to be accepting. The situation was so different. If we’d known that he was behind the red door…”

“You would have gone right away,” murmured Hayley. “I… I thought I really knew him. And honestly, I don’t.”

Beatrix took her hands. “Talk to him. Think of what you want him to know. When he’s resurrected, you can have a serious conversation, alright?”

Hayley nodded, and released her before walking off.

“I’m worried about Hayley,” said Beatrix quietly once she got downstairs to Freya. “She’s not doing too well.”

“It’s only been a day,” said Freya. “Maybe she’ll feel better later. Elijah will be full of apologies, I know that.”

“I can imagine he’ll never forgive himself. He’s going to be making it up to her for the next several years.”

Freya pursed her lips. “I wish there had been a way to know beforehand. I should have assumed he’d be behind the red door.”

“I should have assumed it, too. I should have protected her. Elijah thoroughly prepared me before he let me see. Hayley got attacked because she had no idea what to expect.”

Just then, Hayley walked up, holding out Freya’s pendant, which now had a crack on it. “This is bad, isn’t it?” said Hayley shakily.

Freya took the pendant and bit her lip. Beatrix glanced down as she heard Klaus entering the room.

“What’s the matter?” the hybrid asked. 

Freya looked up. “Despite the spell I cast, the very integrity of the pendant is growing unstable. It won't be able to hold Elijah's soul much longer. We need to find a way to resurrect him tonight, or we could lose him forever.”

Beatrix hummed. “We need more power. Even with the three of us witches, channeling others, it won’t be enough.”

“Let me guess,” said Klaus. “We require a grand sacrifice.”

Freya nodded. “I say we kill our enemy and sacrifice her, then I can channel the power from the Hollow's death, raise Elijah's body, and place him back where he belongs.”

Hayley rubbed her chin. “We’ve tried everything already…”

“We know Labonair blood is her Achilles’ heel,” mused Beatrix. “The thing is… Hayley, you’re not actually alive. So your blood wasn’t strong enough to harm her.”

“What if we forge a blade using the blood of the last living Labonair?” suggested Freya quietly.

Klaus shook his head vehemently. “We don't want Hope involved.”

Freya pulled out one of the drawings Hope had made of The Hollow’s symbol. “She's already involved. Hope has been obsessed with the symbol that follows The Hollow: the serpent consuming itself. Now, I believe this is showing us the key, the only means to which she can be destroyed, her own blood. The Hollow's one end of the Labonair bloodline. Hope is the other. And we need to close that loop. The best way to do that is for Hayley to wield a weapon forged with Hope's blood. When she stabs her, it's only then the Hollow can be obliterated completely.”

“Then we make it work,” said Hayley. “I’ll talk to Hope.” She walked off, and Klaus pointed directly at Beatrix. “You are to be nowhere near this.”

“Excuse me?” she said coldly. 

“For heaven’s sake, The Hollow intended to jump into your body once it killed Elijah. You cannot be anywhere nearby for her to choose to attempt it again.”

Beatrix made to snap, but Freya cut her off. “I’ll perform a spell to shield her,” she offered. “But I do think you should stay here. You’ve had too many run-ins with The Hollow. You wouldn’t survive another one.”

“Maybe I don’t want to survive,” Beatrix said coldly. “My idea still stands. If I can be used to defeat her—”

“For the last bloody time!” Klaus snarled. “You’re not going to be sacrificing yourself! Now stay here and shut your trap.”

Beatrix flinched. She made to retort, but felt dizzy, and her mouth closed itself. “Klaus!” Freya said in disbelief. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“My brother died,” Klaus spat. “And she nearly did as well. Am I supposed to be fine with her putting herself in more danger? Am I supposed to skip around with bloody daisies acting as though all will be well?”

“Get out,” Freya snapped, pointing at the door. “I don’t want you returning to this room.”

Klaus stormed out, and Freya took Beatrix’s hand. The Heretic was doing everything to contain a retort. She didn’t have the strength of mind to handle an argument. There was a buzzing in her ears, and she felt a bit cold. 

“I’m fine,” lied Beatrix quickly. “We should um… do a Locator Spell. See where The Hollow is using magic. We’ll trace it based off of what she’s done to me.”

Freya nodded reluctantly. “You can collect the herbs.”

Beatrix was more than happy to trot off and spend her time gathering the materials. She pushed Klaus’s words out of her mind. This was not the time to let it get to her. She needed to be focused, even if it meant she had to stay cooped up. 

Once she had gathered what they needed, she went into her bathroom, splashing some water on her face. She took a shaky breath, gripping the edges of the sink. The buzzing and nausea lingered. It was minimal, but Beatrix couldn’t imagine why it was lasting so long just from her bottling up her anger. She couldn’t afford to be set back. She dried her face with a towel and set back downstairs.

“Here,” said Beatrix, spreading the herbs around the map of New Orleans that Freya had laid out and held down with candles. “You have the incantation?”

“Yes.” They linked hands across the map. Freya furrowed her brows. “Beatrix, your hands are shaking. They’re cold.”

The Heretic swallowed hard. “Just trying to stay calm. I’m mad at your brother. Like always, it seems.”

“No, Beatrix, I can feel vibrations,” said Freya, letting go of her. “Check your arms.”

Beatrix tore up her sleeves and swore loudly. “No— no— this shouldn’t be happening! I fueled the spell yesterday with the dark magic. The blackened veins had disappeared…” She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. “Less dark magic was released than what I anticipated. My body’s clinging to it. Attacking itself.”

“Then you should rest,” said Freya urgently. “I need to do another cleansing spell. Her magic isn’t leaving you as easily…”

“No, no, I can’t rest!” said Beatrix impatiently. Freya’s voice sounded so loud, and it was hurting her head. “Let’s do this bloody spell. It’ll release something. I just… I’ll sleep it off later.”

Freya didn’t seem keen on just letting her brush it off, but Beatrix took her hands again, closing her eyes. Reluctantly, Freya joined her in chanting, “ _Dauha naer do smrti. Dauha naer do smrti. Dauha naer do smrti.”_

“That’s a rather odd locator spell.”

They unlinked and saw Rebekah in the doorway.

“We’re trying to trace The Hollow’s magic,” explained Beatrix. Most of the buzzing was gone, but she still shivered. 

“She’s in the Garden District,” said Freya, looking down at where The Hollow’s symbol had appeared on the map. 

Rebekah moved forward to take a peek. “That's the LaForge House. At one time, it was the center of high society, but that all changed when Dr. LaForge tortured and killed his friends and family. Claimed until his dying day that an evil spirit made him do it. That house has been derelict since.”

Beatrix and Freya shared a look. “The perfect lair for someone who relishes tragedy.”

The Heretic noticed another symbol appear on the map at that moment. It was smaller, but just as obvious. “It’s another one. Two hotspots.”

Freya tried to think. “If the serpent at the LaForge House represents the Hollow herself, then this must be some sort of totem she's using to magnify her power and protect herself. Dahlia used to use these when she was up to something particularly awful. It will render the Hollow unkillable. We will have to destroy it before we can face her.”

“Lovely,” said Rebekah. “I could do with some fresh air. And some fresh blood.”

Freya pushed the herbs aside and picked up the map, handing it to her sister. “It's been spelled to track the totem. Don't go alone.”

“I’ll go with you,” offered Beatrix.

“I think not,” said Freya sternly. “You’re still trembling.”

“I can call Kol,” Rebekah announced, bringing out her phone.

“Hey, Bex,” Kol answered. “What's up?”

“Someone's floating around with a trinket that's fueling our enemy's power. What say you help me track down and exterminate this scoundrel?”

“I’d like nothing better.”

“Perfect.” Rebekah hung up and spent only a moment texting him the details before speeding off. 

Freya put her hands on Beatrix’s shoulders, noticing the Heretic looked saddened. “Please. You can’t think of going out there like this. She’s poisoned you.”

She pulled her to sit down and made her lay down, putting her hand over her head. Beatrix squirmed in discomfort as Freya began to murmur a spell in the form of a song, a small purple light shining over Beatrix’s head.

“What are you doing?” Beatrix said, feeling suddenly very sleepy. “You said… purify… cleanse…”

“You need to sleep right now,” said Freya. “No arguing. If you want to argue about the medical implications, I’ll be glad to call Keelin to bicker about it with you. She’ll show you that this is what you need.”

Beatrix tried desperately to keep her eyes open. The dizziness was subsiding. Rest was indeed what she needed, btu she didn’t want to just give in. “Freya… if I’m gonna lose my life… I want to lose it while fighting to protect…” she yawned, “my niece… I can’t just pretend I’m not… needed.”

Freya put a hand on her cheek. “I know. But I’ve seen that you are not fighting to live in the same way you used to. You’re accepting a fate that can be avoided. If you just rest, and listen to your body. It’s so exhausted after all these years. And with time, we will find a way to keep you from dying. I know you want to help. I know that you like to keep fighting even when you’ve been beat down. But we almost lost you and Elijah. This enemy is stronger than we are equipped to deal with, and if you’re not at your full potential, she’ll destroy you.”

At the very least, when Beatrix awoke after what felt like a few hours of napping, she felt better. Her head was clear. She felt no strong emotions tugging at her gut. Perhaps, her anger had triggered the negative effects of the dark magic inside of her. There was no more buzzing, and she was not dizzy.

“Good, you’re awake,” said Freya, coming over. “You’re going to stay here and watch over Hope, alright? Klaus and I have some errands to run.”

“What?” said Beatrix, rubbing her eyes. “Why? Where?”

“Rebekah and Kol haven’t been answering our calls. Hayley and I have some weapons that are infused with Hope’s blood. Klaus is going to find The Hollow’s totem. What we need you to do is what you do best— watch over your niece.”

Beatrix sighed and stood up. “Alright. Just… stay safe, will you? If I get any inkling that something is wrong, I’m coming to find you.”

Freya helped her to her feet. “Hope is in her room. She’s excited to have a playdate with her Aunt Trix.”

The Heretic smiled slightly. Walking slowly up the stairs to not lose her balance, she made her way to Hope’s room, checking her own arms first to make sure the blackened veins were gone. They were. Freya must have done the spell when she was asleep.

“Aunt Trix!” said Hope brightly when she saw her. “I got my paints and stuffed animals.”

“Did you? What do you want to paint?”

“The animals, posing.” She patted the floor beside her, leaving the papers stretched out. “See, I put the elephant and the giraffe one holding hands, and the alligator looks normal but I’m going to pain some sunglasses on her.”

Beatrix chuckled. “I like that. You’re very creative.” She sat down, crossing her legs. She was ready for Hope to begin painting in that second, but the little girl cast her a curious look.

“Are you mad at my dad?” she asked.

Beatrix was taken aback. She didn’t know what to say. Would she be honest with Hope? It was clear that she had noticed the change in Klaus and Beatrix’s behavior with each other. She was more observant than the adults realized.

“No, I’m not mad at him,” said Beatrix quietly. She wasn’t angry, not at the moment. But she was hurt. Hurt that he continued to push her away. 

“He doesn’t smile around you anymore, and you don’t smile around him. You don’t kiss him on the cheek like you were doing before. You talk but you don’t laugh.”

Beatrix sighed. “Sometimes… people don’t get along the way they want to. The world is more dangerous than you know, my sweet girl, and your dad and I have just seen a lot of things. We all want to protect you.”

Hope looked at her with big eyes. “Do you still love him?”

The Heretic swallowed hard. “I will always love your dad, Hope. Just like I love you, your mom, and your other aunts and uncles, and Marcel. I may not be a Mikaelson, but you’re all my family. I will always care about how you’re doing.”

“But you said before there are different forms of love. Do you love him like before?”

“I do.”

“Then why does he look sad? I thought people who loved each other were happy. You were sad for a long time before. But when my dad came, you weren’t sad anymore. And when my Uncle Elijah came, my mom wasn’t sad anymore, either.”

Beatrix pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “There are a lot of things that will be explained to you, eventually. What matters is that your dad and I love you so, so much. And your mom and Uncle Elijah love you so, so much, too. No matter who else we love, we will always do everything for you. You’re the family’s pride and joy. Don’t ever forget that. No matter how hard things get. No matter who you lose. You are important and so, so loved. You can get through anything, as long as you have family and friends. It’s okay to be vulnerable with people. One day, you’ll understand about all the types of love, and you’ll know how to value yourself. I promise, I will tell you things once the situation is calmed down, alright? And no matter what happens, I will always be here for you, alright?”

Hope smiled. “I love you too, Aunt Trix,” she said. Her little voice was every bit of comfort that Beatrix needed.

She wished the world was a better place for her niece. That Hope wouldn’t ever have to suffer. That she would grow up and be a powerful tribrid that got to use her powers for good and to enjoy life with her friends. That she would grow up with two functional parents. A family who would always support her. She could have a good relationship with Marcel, who would teach her things as if she were his little sister. What Beatrix wanted more than anything was for Hope to be free and safe so that she could be happy. If worse came to worst, the Heretic was ready to lay her life down for Hope. Especially if it meant making it safe for her anywhere she went.

“Aunt Trix?” asked Hope, having begun to paint. “Are you sick? I heard my mom and dad talking about it last night.”

The Heretic let out a soft sigh. “In a manner of speaking.”

“What is it? Like a cold?”

Beatrix half-smiled. “Like a cold, in a way.”

“But you’ll get better, right?”

She hesitated to answer. 

Beatrix knew that this disease, this dark magic she was born with, was killing her. Perhaps the others wanted to find a solution, but she knew more than anyone that this would not be possible. Sooner or later, the effects would be irreversible. 

The Heretic was no longer afraid of dying. She didn’t fear the pain. She was relentless in wanting to fight because she didn’t want to waste the time she had left. If her time was limited, she wanted to do good. Ever since she’d come to terms with this, she had changed. She knew that she had the potential to give a lasting contribution, and she made it happen. 

The one thing she feared was losing her family. She had lost Klaus, she was sure of it. But when she died, it would be permanent. She would never see that roguish grin of Kol’s as he ranted about how magnificent a particular form of magic was. She would never see the signature smirk of Klaus as he spoke of the things he wanted to do, the places he wanted to explore. She would never see Rebekah planning out her future with such contagious excitement. She would never again see or hear the way Elijah played the piano, a sound so heavenly that it had always made Beatrix feel complete. She would never be blessed with Hayley’s friendship, and get to hear her laugh or see her kicking ass in a fight. She would never hear the wonderful ideas that came from Marcel’s mind about how he could promote peace. She would never see Hope smile again, or hear her gentle voice.

“Yes, I’ll get better,” said Beatrix quietly. It wasn’t a complete lie. Her condition could improve slightly, which could be considered ‘better.’ But she would never be cured. 

They had been painting for a bit when there were footsteps. Beatrix stood up as Kol entered the room. “Trix,” he said, smiling a bit, before crouching down in front of Hope. “Hey, buddy.”

Hope looked up. “Are my mom and dad back?”

“Not quite,” said Kol. He was holding a knot made of very strong material. “Hey, you know what I used to do, when I was bored at your age? Magic.”

Hope cast Beatrix a look. “I’m not supposed to do magic with strangers…”

Kol made a face. “What? I-I’m family.”

Hope pursed her lips. “So why did you go away?”

Kol sighed. “I went away because I was sad. And I thought I'd never be happy again. And I didn't want to make everybody that I loved around me sad, too.” He sat down completely, and Beatrix sank down at his side.

Hope set down her paintbrush. “Aunt Trix didn’t leave.”

“Well,” she said to her niece, “sometimes, when some people feel sad, they leave, because it helps them heal. For me, it helped to get to see your adorable little face every day. Kids made me happy. Everyone copes differently. If you’re ever sad, you need to listen to your body. You’ll know what’s best to deal with it.” She looked at Kol. “What’s wrong? What’s with the knot?”

Kol let out a harsh sigh, his nostrils flaring. “The Hollow resurrected Davina,” he said quietly. “But they’re linked together.” He held up the knot. “I think Hope can undo it.”

Hope took the knot from him, beginning to observe it. “If I untie this knot... your girlfriend will be free from the Hollow?”

Kol nodded. “I hope so.”

“And you really love her?” asked Hope curiously, her little hands exploring the ridges of the knot.

He smiled. “Yes. Kind of like your mom loves, uh…”

“Uncle Elijah,” said Hope with a smile. 

Beatrix and Kol shared an amused look. “You are miraculously well-adjusted,” said Kol. But then, he perked up. “All right— focus on the knot, love. It's very important, and I'll be right back.”

He walked out, and Beatrix frowned, listening and hearing that someone had walked into the compound. She peeked to where Hope was tugging at the edges of the knot, and tucked some hair behind her ear.

“I imagine right now, you’re rather cross with me,” Kol was saying. “You should know, I have my reasons.”

“Rebekah suggested I hear them,” came Klaus’s voice. “I'd rather rip out your vocal chords.”

She heard a loud thump. “Stay here,” she said gently to Hope. She sped down, and jumped right between Kol and Klaus before the latter could shove the former into the fountain.

“Get out of the way, Beatrix!” snarled Klaus.

“Listen to me, Nik!” pleaded Kol as the Heretic stood between them. “I did what I did for Davina. The Hollow brought her back, and now they're linked. I just need a bloody second to set her free.”

“Lovesick imbecile,” said Klaus venomously. “The Hollow preys upon your weakness. She raised Davina to get you to betray your family, and you, pathetic as you are, leapt at the chance.”

“Our family owes Davina that much!”

“I owe nothing to her!” snapped Klaus. “Nor to you!” He tore past Beatrix and snatched at a blue rock that Kol had had in his pocket, which Beatrix hadn’t noticed. “What is that?” she demanded as Klaus smashed it against the floor.

“No!” cried Kol. Klaus looked up at Beatrix. “The Hollow’s totem. He was guarding it.”

“Nik, please!” said Kol desperately. “I just need a little time— I just need to know she’s alive. Please, grant me this small mercy. I wasn’t going to betray you! Brother, please— for a thousand years, I’ve never experienced love or peace…”

“Mercy is a privilege reserved for family,” Klaus sneered. “Your status has been revoked.”

Beatrix stepped in front of him before he could lunge at Kol. “He didn’t hurt anyone, did he?” she said sharply. “He did it for someone he loves. Wouldn’t you have done the same? If… if it were me?”

He faltered, and Kol took the chance to speed away. Beatrix glared at the hybrid across from her, seeing his lips quiver and move, but hearing no sound coming from them.

It was in that moment that she realized that she had said the wrong thing. In the end, she wasn’t a Mikaelson, and would never be one. 

“It’s really over between us,” she said softly, a slow tear running down her cheek. “I didn’t want to believe it… but there’s no going back.”

He shook his head, a tear flowing down from his eye to match hers. 

_A/N: I was listening to ‘You’re Somebody Else’ by Flora Cash when writing the scene between Beatrix and Hope and just… that song is so good. This entire chapter got me sad. Anyway, in case you haven’t heard, I published a new The Vampire Diaries/The Originals story called Forever Original. Check it out, if you want :)_


	67. Chapter 67

**Things were tense in the Compound the next morning.**

Elijah had been resurrected, but Hayley hadn’t yet gone to seen him, and she hadn’t spoken a single word to him. Beatrix and Klaus were ignoring each other. It was like a terrible, dark cloud had settled over the building, making the air feel cold.

Beatrix wasn’t sure what to do or say. Would she comfort Elijah? Hayley? Speak to Klaus? Everything felt wrong and uncertain. She could see the irritated and pained look on Elijah’s face. She could sense the bitterness radiating off of Klaus. There was a profound look of sadness in Hayley’s eyes. 

Thus, the Heretic decided to speak to her first. 

“Hey,” she said gently, coming into her room. “Have you eaten?”

“Yes, I did,” said Hayley. “How do you feel? Freya told us you were a bit shaky yesterday.”

“I’m alright. Is there anything I can get you?”

Hayley didn’t wish to discuss her feelings about Elijah, therefore she shook her head. “Just advice, I guess. I um, I was thinking about what Alaric Saltzman said when he was here. The Salvatore School. I want to send Hope there.”

Beatrix smiled. “I think that’s a really good idea. Hope would benefit a lot from being around kids her own age.”

“I don’t know if I want to move closer to Mystic Falls or trust her, and stay here.”

“You can always move after the first few weeks if you think she’s too far. But it’s a very safe place, from what I hear, and I think you don’t need to worry. It would be very easy for us to visit.”

Hayley pursed her lip. “I don’t know if Klaus would agree with this… and I’m sorry to bring him up right now… but I think, if I were to enroll her, I’d want her to be enrolled as ‘Hope Marshall,’ not Mikaelson.”

Beatrix clasped her hands together. “It would be a lot safer for her to have the Marshall surname. Anything else would yield danger. Klaus… will respect any choice you make. He knows that the Mikaelson surname can bring her power, but also hatred. She doesn’t need that when she’s trying to learn.”

She’d spoken to Elijah next.

“How are you?” she asked, handing him a mug of tea. “This should help calm you. Coming back to life can’t be the nicest thing to experience, mentally.”

He took the mug and took a small sip. “She won’t speak to me,” he murmured. “She thinks I am a monster. That deep down, I will always be that man she saw behind the red door. She won’t want me anymore.”

“Elijah, don’t say that. She needs time. You two need to talk, eventually. Whenever she’s ready. Tell her all the things you told me. Apologize. Communicate honestly. It will take time. She’s not over you, I know that.”

“And you are not over Niklaus.”

She was silent for a moment. “How could I be? But… I know it’s done. I’ll recover. I’ll be fine, I always am. I… I don’t know how soon I’ll be comfortable enough to be friends with him again, but… we’ll see.”

She had elected not to speak with Klaus.

It wasn’t her biggest problem, either way. She had been fixing herself a sandwich to snack on when Hayley, pulled her into the upstairs study just as Freya arrived.

“What’s wrong?” asked Freya. 

Hayley wrung her hands together. “I’ve been thinking all morning about what happened last night. The Hollow had me. She could've killed me, but she didn't. She just took my blood and left. Why?”

Freya pursed her lips. “Well, blood can be used for a number of reasons. Locator spells, healing spells, linking s…”

“Linking spell,” said Hayley. “She didn't link herself to me. I took this from Hope's room. Do a reading on this. Tell me what kind of energy you feel.”

Freya and Beatrix took the small hairbrush that Hayley handed to them, which had been wrapped delicately in a cloth. The two witches concentrated, and the familiarity was all too obvious.

“It’s The Hollow’s magic,” said Beatrix shakily. “But how? The Labonair blood was supposed to kill her.”

Freya put her hand over her forehead. “Unless she tapped into your bloodline deliberately, found a way to overcome the power and turned it into a strength. She couldn’t get to Beatrix so she took this risk.”

“She knows that I wouldn’t hurt my own daughter,” Hayley whispered. “What… what do we do?”

“It’s obvious,” said Beatrix, sitting down on the couch. “I have to let her have my body.” Freya made to argue, but Beatrix held her hand up and continued, “She wanted me in the first place. She didn’t get me. I’m a better vessel than Hope. I’m stronger, physically. More ancient. Sired from Klaus yet simultaneously unlinked from him. I was born with that same dark magic and I could grant her unlimited power.”

“You’d lose yourself,” said Freya. “You won’t be able to control what she does. It— it will be like you’re watching yourself doing things that you’re not even thinking of, and you won’t be able to stop her. Even if you fight, you’ll be trapped watching her wreak destruction and being trapped in your own subconscious. And that could kill you. The Hollow would be permanently stuck inside of you.”

“I can fight her long enough to keep her from tapping into the full potential of being in my body,” said Beatrix. “I might still die, I know that, but I can be a sacrifice. I want to be a sacrifice, Freya. I can’t sit by trying to find another solution while Hope is possessed.”

Hayley put her hands on the Heretic’s shoulders. “If you do this…”

“I know. I’m risking my life, but I’m doing it for my niece and that’s the right thing to do.” She looked into Hayley’s eyes. “I’m going to offer myself up.”

Freya held her hands up. “Stop. We have to go about this in a way that we have control over. You can offer yourself up, but we’ll do the transfer. The Hollow won’t care if jumping from Hope’s body into yours kills our niece. It’s dangerous for the both of you. What we need to do is knock Hope out. Put her to sleep. I can transfer The Hollow into Beatrix’s body, whether she accepts the offer or not. Once I do that, I can use all my magic to shield Hope’s body. The Hollow won’t be able to jump back into her once she’s in Beatrix.”

“This is insane,” said Hayley shakily. “What’s the chance that this will even work? What are the risks? If it’s not successful— what happens?”

“We should call Kol,” said Beatrix. “He and Davina are somewhere safe, they can give input on the spell.”

“There’s no time,” said Freya. “I know what needs to be done. There is a risk no matter what we do, but I will not let harm come to you or Hope. I can channel Hayley to give the spell power.”

“We should tell the others,” Hayley said, her hands on her head like she was overwhelmed.

Beatrix shook her head. “Listen, they’re not going to reach well. Klaus will go on a rampage when he finds out The Hollow possessed his daughter. Elijah and Marcel won’t let me sacrifice myself, if it comes to that. If we’re calling anyone, we’re calling Vincent, but there’s no telling if it’s safe to get him to help.”

Hayley gulped. “Alright. What do I do?”

“Distract Hope,” said Freya. “I have some powder to put her to sleep. Speak as though she’s still your daughter. Beatrix, help her. Once we put Hope to sleep, we’ll start.”

Though Hayley was clearly very nervous, she followed Beatrix. The two women went to where Hope was in the upstairs library, observing a chess set.

“Hey… sweetie,” said Hayley as casually as she could. The girl looked up, and it was clear that it wasn’t really Hope. “Why don’t you… take that chess set downstairs and we can play together.”

“I can fix us all a snack,” said Beatrix gently. “We’ll have a fun tournament.”

All the girl did was stare. The lack of emotion was so characteristic of The Hollow. Hayley growled lowly when she didn’t respond. “I want my daughter back. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do. I will get her back.”

Hope smiled. “You won't. Hope is still fighting, but she'll give in soon. Once this is complete, I'll be in her body permanently. You won't hurt me. I'm your daughter. You can't.”

“You can have my body instead,” said Beatrix, stepping forward. “That’s what you wanted this entire time. You took it too far, and I’m giving myself up to you.”

“Foolish girl. I gave you your chance. Perhaps, if you wanted your niece to be left unharmed, you would have accepted in the first place!” She thrust her hand out, and both Hayley and Beatrix cried out in pain, blood beginning to pour from their noses.

“Inadu!” 

Hope turned as Freya entered the room, splashing some white powder over her. The little girl’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Beatrix quickly wiped her nose and picked up Hope’s body, laying it down.

“How long do we have?” asked Hayley.

“She’s not going to be happy if she breaks through the sleep spell before we’re done,” said Freya, beckoning for Beatrix to lay down on the opposite couch. “Which means we need to work fast.” She came to the Heretic, placing some herbs on her forehead, and humming. She lit candles and sage, and Beatrix closed her eyes. “Hayley, your hand.”

Hayley took her hand, and Freya began to chant, _“Moure animus buit mudif, pohyb naql flytte, andi esperit cavas holur, amfitrio vert. Moure animus buit mudif, pohyb naql flytte, andi esperit cavas holur, amfitrio vert.”_

Beatrix let out a gasp. Her eyes shot open, and her back arched off of the couch. A blinding pain shot through her body and she saw white, another loud buzzing noise filling her ears. She could sense movement around her but she had no idea what was happening.

And then, the light before her eyes turned blue.

“Your attempt has failed, Beatrix La Salle,” crooned the familiar voice of The Hollow in her ear. “How selfless, to sacrifice oneself for a little girl. You think I would choose you over a tribrid? You have not succeeded. And now, for interfering, I will ensure that you suffer. You seek to die so badly… and you will. From your death I will harvest the power to before immortal. You will fuel my return to my own body, and your abilities will become mine. You will die knowing that you helped me eradicate that stupid little girl and her family.”

The light faded, and her eyes were forced shut. Suddenly, Beatrix felt as though someone was choking her. She tried to throw them off, but felt no hands there. Gasping for air, she shook. Every fiber in her body felt like it was being burned. Her scream was muffled. Her throat was being crushed, and she was dying, she was sure of it. Her chest tightened. The Hollow must be trying to tear her heart out.

However, her world did not go black. She remained in pain. Unending torment. It was as though Papa Tunde’s blade had been thrust back inside of her, except this time she could move. Her movements, however, were not her own. She could feel her limbs were shaking erratically. Spasms. Seizures, she was sure of it. It felt like a bomb was going off in her head.

“BEATRIX!”

Something was injected into her, and she screamed out hoarsely, feeling as though her vocal cords were torn out.

“Beatrix— this is going to hurt—”

She screamed once more. Someone had their hand on her forehead, and it was burning her all over again. She sobbed, unable to form coherent words. She wanted them to stop. She wanted to know what was going on. Why wasn’t she dead? How long had it been? Where was Hope? Where was The Hollow?”

“Now, Vincent!”

_“Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a.”_

Beatrix’s eyes opened and her body shot up, blood spilling out of her mouth. Someone was holding her up, but she had no idea who. She spit and coughed, blood splattering all over the ground. In a brief moment where it stopped, she raised her hand to wipe her mouth, and was horrified to see that the blackened veins ran completely up it— from her fingertips to where she could see, on her shoulder.

“No!” she cried. “No— no— we failed— fuck—”

“Beatrix.” Freya knelt before her. Her head was bleeding, but she looked awake. “Listen to me. You shouldn’t move.”

“Where—?” She looked to the side. She was in the courtyard. Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, and Vincent were beside her, but she didn’t know how or when they’d gotten there. “How long—?”

Freya pushed her to lay down. “You’ve been having a seizure for four hours. I-I honestly don’t know how you’re still alive.”

“The Hollow rejected my offer,” she croaked as Vincent put a mug of herbal tea in front of her, coaxing her to drink it.

“She marked you,” said Vincent. “She’s been channeling you this entire time, and she purposely put a curse on you to keep you in pain.”

“But why—? She… she said my death… would help her get back to her real body… give her more power…”

“She doesn’t want to leave Hope’s body yet,” said Freya, caressing her head. “We’ve stopped the in-the-moment effects of the curse, but it lingers over you, still.”

“Everything aches,” said Beatrix as Vincent forced her to drink more tea. “Hurts…”

“Which is why you’re not going to move,” he said sternly. 

But suddenly, she didn’t see him. Instead of his worried expression, she saw the cruel smirk of Tristan de Martel, looking down at her when she had been held hostage by the Strix.

“NO!” she screamed, shoving him back. “LET ME GO!”

Elijah sped to her side and held her hands in place, going into her mind without planning to. She sobbed and started trying to kick him, but her limbs hurt too much. Now, she saw Kai, and he wanted to kill her, just like he had when they had first met.

“P-Please,” she said, her voice cracking as his face merged into The Hollow’s. “L-Let me go— l-let me go—”

“She’s hallucinating,” said Elijah, releasing her.

“This curse is more deep-rooted than anything I’ve ever seen,” said Freya in shock. “How is she still alive?”

Vincent put his hand on his forehead as he stood up. “He linked them.”

“What?” said Rebekah. “What does that mean?”

“The Hollow linked Hope and Beatrix instead of letting her spirit transfer over. It’s how she’s channeling them and simultaneously torturing her. As long as The Hollow is alive in Hope, she needs Beatrix alive. And when she transfers to her body— she doesn’t just want to sacrifice Beatrix. She’ll sacrifice Hope, too. A Labonair and another relative of The Hollow. It would render her indestructible. Like, Original caliber. The Hollow just wants to torment Beatrix to expose the darkness that’s been there since her mother got pregnant. It’s fueling her, and it makes it impossible to remove the curse…”

“...unless we remove The Hollow from Hope,” deduced Freya. “Which sounds pretty near-impossible right now.”

Klaus’s jaw tightened as he watched Beatrix lay back weakly, Freya putting her mind at ease. “A thousand years ago,” he murmured, looking at Rebekah and Elijah, “we three made an eternal vow. To protect each other, always and forever. Freya, that vow now includes you. As it includes my daughter. She is my heart and soul. Right now she's out there, alone in the darkness, fighting. We can't give up. I cannot lose them both…” he looked down at Beatrix, eyes widening a bit when he thought she understood what he said, but she was too dazed to hear him. “So I'm begging you... All of you... If there's any chance… we need to save them.”

“I think I know a way,” said Vincent. “But if we go this route, this is gonna be the end of your family. This is gonna be the end of always and forever.” He started to pace the courtyard as Freya used a rag to gently wipe the sweat off of Beatrix’s face. The blackened veins were up to her neck, inching little by little toward her face. “The Hollow has been haunting New Orleans for centuries. It's an unending evil. Its appetite for power is insatiable. And that's what attracted it to your little girl, and to Beatrix.”

“You said there was a way to save her,” Klaus demanded.

“There is. There is. But I'm gonna tell you right now, you are not gonna like my plan. Step one: we pull The Hollow out of Hope, and remove Inadu’s hold on Beatrix and your little girl. Step two: we find someplace else to put it. But with the book gone, I need a place that's both powerful and eternal. And in order to make the transition work, I'm gonna need something that's connected to Hope through blood.”

“You need a vampire,” said Freya quietly. “You want to put the Hollow into one of my siblings?”

“One ain’t gonna cut it,” said Vincent. “I'm gonna need four of them.”

“Why four of us?” asked Elijah, sitting down beside Beatrix and putting a shaky hand on her head. 

“Well, fifteen hundred years ago, when the Hollow was first killed, they divided her remains. Four bones, four volunteers, four different locations. That's how we're going to beat the Hollow now.”

Freya gulped. “Transfer the Hollow's power into four immortal vampires.”

“And just send us on our way,” Rebekah said.

Klaus rubbed his chin. “So the evil is drawn, quartered and separated for all time.”

Vincent nodded. “And you have to go your separate ways, and you have to stay separate. For all time. We can never see each other again. Can never go near each other again. That is the only way that we're gonna beat the Hollow. You will have to stay away from Beatrix and especially Hope, because The Hollow will try to possess them again."

Klaus let out a shaky sigh. “If it will save them, we will make it so.” He came to crouch beside Beatrix. “I am not sure you can hear me or understand me, my little witch,” he whispered, taking her hand as she shivered, her eyelids fluttering. “But you are our family. You may not bear the Mikaelson surname, or share blood with anyone but me, but you are our family. Like a sister, to Rebekah and Freya. A dear friend to Kol. A second mother to Hope, and a primary mother for Marcellus. You may think I despise you. That I do not love you. But I do. I simply cannot bear to see you in pain, and the majority of what you have felt has been my fault. It is unjust. You will always be my closest and most trusted friend. And I will never forget my love for you. You must know this.”

He then cleared his throat, knowing that there was a chance she wouldn’t have heard him. “What must we do?”

She could understand. However, her pain was too great to internalize anything. Her power was being sucked out, and she could not muster a reply. Any movement could trigger more pain.

“My darling Itza,” Elijah whispered, just before Vincent and Freya began the spell to separate The Hollow. “I have long wondered what I might have said to you that day in 1914 if I had known that you would nearly lose your life. What I could tell you about how I felt. I treated you like a fragile object when you were confined in the Compound. I was so afraid to lose you that I imposed my control. Perhaps, Hayley is right to see me as a monster. It is what I am. I see you here now and wonder what I could have done to avoid this. To save you from the pain you have endured from our family. The torture. The heartbreak. I wish there was a better way to say goodbye. To be able to apologize for all the pain I caused you. I may, perhaps, never see you again. And it causes an aching in my soul that I’m not sure I can withstand. I wish, on this day, that in the next life, if we have one, our souls find each other again, the way they did in this lifetime. I am not sure how I will survive without being able to speak to you. To hear your intriguing thoughts. Your laughter…” 

He leaned down and kissed her head gently. She whimpered, the feeling of his lips on her skin causing discomfort. “I should never have made you a second choice,” he whispered. “That day I saw you again, I should have taken you into my arms and kissed you. I should have… done so many things. I will forever regret them. The choices I made have hurt you, and Hayley. I only wish that you will be safe. You and my niece.”

By the time her head cleared, he was gone. Rebekah and Kol had gone their separate ways. Klaus was nowhere nearby. 

“Beatrix,” said Hayley, coming over when she saw her sit up. “Oh my God— we were so scared. It’s been hours, and you hadn’t woken up…”

She looked down at her hands, seeing the blackened veins had disappeared. “It… worked?”

“Yes. Do you feel alright? I’m sorry to make you move so soon, but we need to go.”

“Where?” she murmured as Hayley helped her to her feet. 

“Mystic Falls. We’re going to take Hope to the Salvatore School. I think… at least for her first year there… I should live nearby. And if you would like to join us… I would be so grateful.”

Beatrix looked up as Freya led Hope over. The little girl looked perfectly healthy, and she was tugging two suitcases behind her.

“Aunt Trix!” said Hope happily, dropping the handles and coming to hug her. Beatrix was startled, but she gently hugged back. “My sweet girl, how are you?” she whispered.

“I feel good,” said her niece. “Look— the green suitcase is yours! Mom says we’re going to a school for magic. You can come with us!”

Beatrix smiled weakly. “I would like nothing more.”

Hope grinned and ran to get the suitcases, squealing as she went to the car that awaited them outside.

“She’s still a bit in shock that Klaus is gone,” whispered Hayley. “But I explained things, and I think… she’ll be okay. She needs to meet kids her own age. It will help her.” She then stopped, and let out a sigh. “Um… Marcel stopped by earlier. He wanted me to tell you that he’s going to be with Rebekah.”

“That’s sweet…” but she sensed Hayley was hiding something. “What else?”

The hybrid bit her lip. “Elijah had him compel his memories away.”


	68. Chapter 68

_February 2026_

**In seven years, Beatrix had never felt so different.**

It was a strange thing, to not see the Mikaelsons for so long. Sure, they had FaceTime, and she regularly communicated with Rebekah and Kol, who were having the time of their lives with Marcel and Davina, respectfully. However, Beatrix had not seen Klaus and Elijah’s faces or even heard their voices since that fateful day.

She had forced herself not to think of them, because it meant missing them.

When they had taken Hope to the Salvatore School, she had fit in right away. Beatrix had been put at ease, seeing how much she liked it there. Alaric had even offered her a job to teach there, since she knew quite a bit about magic. Beatrix declined. She couldn’t picture herself as a teacher.

Instead, she had become a doctor in the Mystic Falls and Whitmore hospitals. She moved between them, treating special pregnancy cases that required her expertise. She and Hayley had lived in an apartment for the first two years that Hope had been at the Salvatore School, and it had gone well.

Beatrix had forgiven Bonnie Bennett at long last, for trapping her in the 1903 prison world. She had learned to respect Damon despite how often he made jokes. He was more tolerable now, though he carried a consistent air of sadness. Stefan had sacrificed himself, years ago, to save him. Damon was now human, and Beatrix had taken the time to help his girlfriend Elena study for her MCAT and get into medical school.

But in her second year at the Salvatore School, Hope had done a complicated spell. She astral projected herself in order to see Klaus, who contacted her (and sometimes Hayley) often. Hope had seen a brutal scene in Russia that had terrified her. Klaus, bloodthirsty and violent. He had not spoken to her since then, despite extensive pleas from Hayley and Beatrix to speak with his daughter. For the first time in two years, Beatrix heard his voice, only to have him tell her that he would not speak to Hope.

The two women had returned to New Orleans at the start of Hope’s third year. They fixed up The Abattoir and moved back in. They rekindled with Vincent, Josh, and Freya, who was very happy with Keelin. Beatrix began to work as a doctor in two of the nearby hospitals.

And she was happy. She felt a freedom that she had never imagined. She did not date anyone. Flirt with anyone. Even look at anyone attractive for longer than a second. She had never thought of how good it felt to be independent. She loved it. She could focus entirely on being there for Hope, when she visited, and just relaxing after all that’d happened to them in the past.

Hayley had been the first to cave into their shared impulses. She had gone on a vacation alone. She returned looking beyond happy. 

Beatrix learned that she had gone to see Elijah. Though he had not recognized him, his charm remained intact. He knew his name, but he didn’t know his past. It didn’t seem to bother him. He had a girlfriend, but Hayley hadn't learned her name. All she had wanted was to see him again.

Beatrix had thought long ago that perhaps, she could leave behind her magic and go to see Klaus. For closure. Yet, she had decided against it. She had gone to a therapist instead. Spoken to the human girl about her problems, compelling her to ignore any supernatural facts that might confuse her. She had healed in the correct way. She knew that she didn’t need anyone to be happy. She had never been healthier. She only did small spells to revive dead plants and clean. The darkness hadn’t returned to consume her. 

But with Elijah, it was another matter altogether.

She couldn’t imagine how he had thought that compelling away every memory had been a solution. Had it even brought him the relief he had wanted? He wouldn’t have known either way. He couldn’t recall who he’d been in his past life.

And so she had caved, too. Leaving her magic in the old piano key, tucking it in her pillowcase and casting a protective spell over it, she left to Manosque, France.

She hadn’t planned on talking to him. She just wanted to pass by him. To see for herself that he was alright, and that this life was bringing him the joys he had wanted. 

She had been walking down the street, looking down at her phone to try and figure out where he would be. She had stopped, seeing a flash of white, and had glanced up, revealing a closed bridal shop with some gorgeous dresses on display.

_“Come on, we’re already late.”_

_She held her hand out to him, pulling him out of the entrance and down the crowded streets. “I have yet to find the perfect dress, and we’re running out of time. At this rate, we’ll reach the party when they’re already served dessert.”_

_He had laughed. “If you weren’t so occupied with debating whether you wanted to go or not in the first place, perhaps we would have gotten a chance to see the dresses much earlier, my darling.”_

_Beatrix cast Elijah a smirk. It was December of 1899, and they had been invited to a New Year’s Eve celebration. The Heretic had not wanted to go, initially, but had then changed her mind, though she was lacking a proper dress to wear._

_She came to a halt in front of a shop that had a beautiful wedding gown on display. She looked up, and her eyes sparkled. Elijah could see that it captivated her. In that moment, everything made sense to Beatrix. She and Elijah had already been together for over ten years. She could picture herself in the future— happy. Married to Elijah._

_He had not thought of proposing. Not even when they hit the twenty year mark had he thought of it— she had been trapped in the Compound and it had felt wrong. Then, in 1914, they had been torn apart, and he realized he had missed his chance._

Beatrix felt herself smiling at the memory. She looked back down at her phone and began to walk, only to bump into a man that’d been walking in front of her. 

Him.

She looked up, and blushed, taking a step to the side. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “I’m afraid I let myself be distracted.”

“A British accent, I hear,” he observed. “Visiting from England?”

“Oh, no— I’m from the States. I just have a lot of British family and friends, and the accent sort of stuck.”

He quirked a brow, and didn’t respond for a few seconds. “Intriguing.” He paused, and looked over her face. “I’m sorry— you look so familiar. I could have sworn I’ve seen you before, somewhere. Is this your first time in France?”

“No, I’ve been here before, just a long time ago,” said Beatrix. The last time she had been in the country was in 1715, when she met Renée La Salle. 

“Ah… I only arrived recently. About four years ago, I believe.” He held his hand out to her, smiling. “My name is Elijah. Yours?”

She smiled. “I’ve been known by many names in the past. I’m… Ianira.”

“Ianira,” he said, the name rolling off of his tongue with ease. “I have heard that name before… yet, I think I am correct in assuming that it is quite rare, therefore the possibility of that...”

Quite rare indeed. Beatrix had not yet met someone who had the same name as her mother. Or anyone named Itza, for that matter. Beatrix was a more common name, as was Soleil. 

“It was my mother’s name,” she said truthfully, shaking his hand. It filled her with warmth to feel his touch again, and she didn’t immediately let go. “Aside from her… I don’t know anyone else called that.”

“I am trying to place where I’ve encountered you before,” he said, not pulling away from her grip. It was gentle, and he could have withdrawn his hand if he wanted to. “Is… is your surname French?”

“Yes,” she said, bewildered. “Um, my father was French.”

He still wouldn’t let go of her hand. He was searching every last visible feature as if hoping it would stir a memory. “I apologize, I must be making you feel uncomfortable.”

He let go.

She shook her head. “Not at all…” she looked down, and cleared her throat. “The hands of a musician, I presume? Delicate, but firm. Slender fingers. At least, those are traits of musicians I know.”

“You play music?” he inquired, looking intrigued. “Perhaps we’ve met at a concert.”

“Oh, no. I’m not very good at it. I only ever learned a few little tunes on the piano. I haven’t been to a concert in quite a long time.”

“You are still young. You have every opportunity to learn. Have you had a teacher?”

She gazed at him fondly. “Yes, I did. He was quite patient with me, despite how I never improved. He used to… tease me that a newborn could learn quicker than me.”

Elijah chuckled. “It is never too late to hone in on a skill. What about writing? You look like you could be a writer.”

“I did write a few things. Short little drabbles, mostly about Shakespeare.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “I… I have a feeling that… your favorite play is Othello. But you know Hamlet the best. Perhaps from being asked to read it in school.”

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she was certain he could hear it. “You’re correct,” she said softly. She gulped and tried to change the subject. “I also er— wrote a poem once. One good one. I made it back when… I was madly in love with someone.”

He seemed curious. “Oh? And what was the poem about?”

“I wrote it right when I started to befriend the person properly. It was just… something that came to mind about darkness and light. The good and the bad. I honestly don’t know what happened with it, I never searched if it was published or not. I left it to my… my old partner to publish, if he wished. I’m not sure if he did. I forgot to ever ask him.”

“I bet I have heard of it,” he said, seeming to like the challenge. “I have read a great deal many books of poetry and fiction. Nonfiction as well, of course.”

She smirked. “You really think you might know it? I never gave it a title, so if it was published, it would have been under some bizarre name.”

They were standing so close, Beatrix could hear his heartbeat. She did not dare get closer. She had less strength without her magic, and that meant less self-control. She couldn’t afford to succumb to a temptation that wouldn’t bring them any good.

He was the one who leaned over. “I bet that I know exactly which one it is, without you needing to tell me. I have a feeling. How many lines was it?”

“Eight,” she said, shifting back ever so slightly. 

He looked into her eyes, and her breath hitched. He leaned in, and she closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kiss her, but instead, he whispered in her ear.

It brought tears to her eyes. He recited the poem word for word, as she had written it for him back in 1887. She didn’t know how he could possibly remember. He was the only person she ever told about it. The only one who read those words and knew they were hers. If the poem had indeed been published, it was likely under another name, which was what she had wanted, if he had ever chosen to publish it in her honor. 

When he pulled back and saw she was crying, he reached up and dried her tears with his sleeve. “I don’t know how I knew,” he whispered, putting his other hand under her chin. “I think… I did know you, in a past life. Maybe when we were both reborn and just… have this profound connection that can transcend lifetimes.”

“You are with someone,” she said softly, gently pushing his hands down. “A man like you could not possibly be single. However much we may connect, I do not wish to influence you to do something that would hurt the feelings of the woman you are seeing.”

He understood. He had always been the one that understood her. “And are you?” he said. “With anyone?”

She shook her head. “No… I haven’t been, for four years.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, before letting go. “Any man or woman would be beyond fortunate to hold your affections.”

She swallowed hard and stepped back. “Goodbye, Elijah,” she said, trying to force a genuine smile, though tears still rolled steadily down her face. “It… was good to meet you.”

She sped away and did not await his reply. 

It was impossible. How could he possibly remember things in such detail? Hayley had said that he had seemed to recognize her, but had accepted that he didn’t know her until that day that he saw her. Meanwhile, he had consistently brought up facts that he couldn’t have recalled if his memories were gone.

She had not visited again. 

The years had passed and she had enjoyed her life. She had worked, treating patients as often as she could. 

In her spare time, she helped Josh train vampires to fight and learn self-control. They’d come up with an agreement— Beatrix would make daylight rings for vampires who proved to be worthy of them, if they asked for it. Once they demonstrated sufficient control over their abilities and blood lust, Beatrix would go into their minds just to see if she found anything that would put them in jeopardy. 

Vincent and Freya had managed to help her gain respect from the witches in the New Orleans community. They did not fully like her, but she aided them with writing useful spells for reference, and she offered her hand whenever they were dealing with something particularly important.

Together, she, Hayley, Vincent, Freya, and Josh helped to run New Orleans. They kept it at its former glory. Hayley even got a boyfriend, once she started to really love life again.

Their only problem was that they knew Klaus was not following through with the past agreement.

Rebekah and Kol often reported of flowers wilting in their homes, or blood appearing in random places. They knew that Klaus was going to see Elijah, but when they tried to contact the Original hybrid, he ignored them.

They hadn’t many problems. Things felt good, for once. Hope was growing and becoming a kind young lady. Beatrix and Freya taught her spells in moderation when she visited. She had yet to trigger her werewolf side, but she had honed in very well to being a witch, and was excelling far above what they could have imagined.

And then the Salvatore School had called. 

“She did what?” gasped Beatrix.

“Fed her blood to one of her classmates,” said Hayley angrily as she shoved things into her purse. “The kid killed himself and he’s a hybrid now! I have to go and pick her up. This is ridiculous, I can’t even believe what they’re telling me. Can you try to contact Klaus while I’m away?”

“Sure,” said Beatrix. “Let’s hope he hasn’t cloaked himself like last time.”

Beatrix had tried her own astral projections, and it seemed that oftentimes, whenever he was doing something particularly bad, he would get a witch to cloak him so that neither Freya nor Beatrix could reach him.

“That slimy git,” she muttered to herself after the first ten times she called him. She prepared her materials for an astral projection and had no such luck. 

It had taken nine hours for Hope and Hayley to return. 

“Can you just yell at me already?” Beatrix heard Hope say as they entered the Compound. “Seven hours of hostile silence is punishment enough.”

Hayley turned to face her daughter as Beatrix came down the stairs. “The whole point of sending you to that school and calling you Hope Marshall was so that you wouldn't draw attention to yourself, to keep you safe. Why? Why did you do it? What could you have possibly needed the money for?”

Hope made a face of defiance. “That’s my business.”

“And selling your blood is mine,” said Hayley sharply. “You had no right.”

“You’re being a hypocrite! You’re the one that taught me, ‘my body, my choice.’ Well, my blood, my choice.”

“You are not just _anybody_ , Hope! Do you even understand what you have done?”

“Henry came to me.”

“And you should have said no, Hope. Henry was already a kid who was struggling to fit in, and now... he's gonna be only one of three hybrids in the world, and seen as a threat to everyone in the city. You have no idea what you've done. You cannot create something without taking responsibility for it.”

Hope glared at her mother. “What are you gonna do? Ground me... a-and lock me up? I'll just whammy myself out, I am a witch.”

“And I am your mother,” said Hayley. “Which means tomorrow I'm gonna have to clean up the mess you've made before it gets worse.”

She walked up the stairs, casting Beatrix a look of exasperation. The Heretic sighed and came down. Hope turned away and walked toward the fountain, sitting at the edge of it. Beatrix followed and sat beside her.

“She hates me,” muttered Hope. 

“In this world,” said Beatrix, crossing her legs, “it is really important to help other people. And you are right, it’s your choice. Your mom doesn’t hate you. She thinks that you acted too rashly. There is nothing wrong with wanting to help someone when they approach you. Especially knowing that you can do something. But there’s a difference between helping someone emotionally, and aiding them in fitting in, and creating a hybrid. I know that right now, it seems like it’s nothing bad. But this supernatural world is so volatile. It’s dangerous to exist the way we do. And becoming a hybrid is one of the most dangerous things. It brings so much judgement. You get a target put on your back. Hybrids of that nature, especially, vampire and wolf, are so much more dangerous.”

“You can be dangerous too,” Hope murmured. “Witch vampire. If I could make money off of creating those, I totally would.”

“The point, my sweet girl, is that you need to think really carefully about the choices you make, being who you are. Sometimes, the things we do have effects immediately. Sometimes, things don’t go wrong until further in the future. You have to constantly question what might happen, because you can get yourself hurt, and you certainly don’t want to help other people get hurt. I know you’re not the only one at fault. That kid really shouldn’t have asked you for this and he shouldn’t have gone through with it. But it’s essential that you realize that this wasn’t a good choice. This is your chance to learn from it. There is so much you have yet to learn and meddling with this is not a proper route to take.”

Hope sighed, and Beatrix put her arm around her. “I want to remind you that you can always be honest with me. You don’t have to tell me, I know it’s your choice, and I won’t look into your mind. What was the money for?”

The girl shook her head. “You’re going to think it’s stupid…”

Beatrix pursed her lips. “You wanted to get to your dad,” she deduced.

“You said you wouldn’t look into my mind!”

“I didn’t. I’ve seen how much of a toll it’s taken on you that he’s been ignoring you. It’s not okay, and I wish I could get him to be a proper father even if he can’t be here.”

Hope looked away. “Why does he always think that pulling away is the right way to go about these things?” she said. “He— he did it to you. He dumped you because he wanted to protect you from himself. He did the same thing to me.” She reached her hand into the water of the fountain and let her fingers make gentle waves. “If he came back… would you fall in love with him again? I-I remember when I was little, I liked to see how much you and my mom used to smile when my dad and Uncle Elijah were around. If he returned… and you two got back together… he’d listen to you. Mom told me that you were the one that could always keep Klaus in check.”

Beatrix kissed her forehead. “I don’t know, _mi esperanza_. But what I do know is that I will keep fighting to make him a good dad. You deserve that. He’ll be a blast when you start dating…”

Hope laughed lightly, and Beatrix rubbed her back. “Talk to your mama. Tell her the truth. She doesn’t hate you, Hope. She’s going to understand. And while you’re at it, you should give your Uncle Kol a call in the morning. It’ll cheer you up.”

“Thanks, Aunt Trix,” said Hope, standing up. “I’m going to go to sleep now. I’m tired after that trip.”

“Sleep well, _mi pequeña_ ,” said Beatrix, smiling as she watched her niece go up to her room.

She thought that maybe, just maybe, things would be better the next day. As their ruddy luck would have it, they were not.

Henry, from what Beatrix recalled, was a werewolf that’d been raised by a Crescent named Lisina. The kid was young, and he wasn’t too in-control. This proved to bring a problem to light when he arrived at the Compound with the dead body of Poppy, one of the vampires who worked at Rousseau’s.

Immediately, the gang of vampires that Beatrix didn’t like, came to the scene, along with Josh, since he was the one in charge.

These were vampires who had gotten their daylight rings from other witches. Beatrix suspected that they were afraid of what she would see in their minds, and therefore had not asked her for anything.

“No one wants any trouble, Hayley,” said their leader, Greta (Beatrix particularly hated this one. She was rather obnoxious and radical) when the vampires came to collect Henry to punish him. “We just want the hybrid.”

“You’re not getting Henry!” snapped Lisina defensively.

“Remember that that hybrid is just a kid,” said Josh to the group. He turned back to Hayley. “But Poppy was just trying to walk home from work, and she was our friend.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” growled Lisina.

Josh looked pointedly at Hayley. “You might not have a choice.”

“We need to be rational,” said Hayley in exasperation.

“Should they go back and tell Poppy’s mother that her daughter’s killer is free, but at least we were rational?” snapped Greta.

Hayley rubbed her forehead. “Peace is complicated. We haven't had it all this time because we've been perfect. We've had it because we haven't overreacted when we're not. Revenge isn't justice. Do we really want to sacrifice a... a kid to assuage our fear?”

“He’s not just a kid,” said Greta. “He's a _hybrid_. With the power to kill any vampire he chooses.”

“I’m a hybrid,” said Hayley. “I'm not a threat to anyone. Beatrix is a hybrid, and she’s done nothing but help the vampire and witch communities in these past seven years. And after we team up to teach Henry self-control, he won't be a threat to anyone, either. Look, every death is a tragedy. And I'm truly sorry for Poppy and her family. But we've evolved beyond an ‘eye for an eye’ mentality. This is a test. Don't... throw away all we've accomplished.”

The vampires were unsatisfied, but they elected to leave. As they were walking out, Beatrix heard Greta say under her breath, “The wolf-vampire hybrids are the worst of the lot, they think they can just lord it over…”

Hayley hadn’t heard, as she had already started talking to Lisina. Beatrix was tempted to go after Greta, but by the time she decided to do it, Hayley grabbed her shoulder.

“Walk with me, please,” she sighed in exasperation. “I need the company.”

They went out into the town. “I don’t know what the hell to do,” said Hayley. “I just— I want to be fair but I know how they’re feeling and I also know how the wolves are feeling. I still can’t believe what Hope was thinking.”

“Did she talk to you yet?” asked Beatrix.

“About wanting to see Klaus? Yes. I wish I knew what to tell her. I wish… I wish that he wasn’t like this, but he is.”

“One day, I want to just sit him down and do a damn mind-calming spell. I’ve gotten good at those with my patients, and I can easily make them Original caliber. His daughter needs him and—”

The two women stopped, seeing ahead of them on the street, were Henry and Hope.

“What the—?”

Both of their necks snapped, and the woman collapsed on the floor. The two teenagers ran forward to retrieve them.


	69. Chapter 69

**Time seemed to move slowly.**

It was giving her terrible flashbacks to when she had been trapped with The Strix, and she knew Hayley felt the same way. 

Beatrix had awoken strapped into a chair, ropes of vervain around her wrists and ankles, as well as one around her neck. There was an additional IV inserted into her, pumping vervain in every minute.

Beside her had been Hayley. They were both drenched in sweat and dirt— the building they were in was full of dust and smelled of burned sage.

“H-Hayley,” gasped Beatrix, not daring to move. “Hayley…”

“She was awake before you.”

The Heretic’s head shot up, seeing Greta entering the room. Above her head, written on the wall in blood were the words ‘FREAK FILTH CROSSBREEDS.’ Greta smirked and knelt in front of Beatrix. “She already had her taste of pain. She woke up from the sleeping spell her daughter put on her. Attacked us. We subdued her easily. It was her blood we used to write that, up there. Now, it’s your turn. Every good painting needs a second coat.”

Beatrix let out a scream as Greta drove a blade into her side. The Heretic thrashed about, only succeeding in getting more vervain pumped into her. The vampire before her yanked the blade out, spilling Beatrix’s blood into a tin that awaited under her chair. Moaning in pain, she felt herself be bled out. With all the vervain, there was no way she’d heal right away. The blood would continue to leak until Greta wished for it to stop.

“We took the liberty of taking your magic,” added Greta, watching with satisfaction as the tin began to fill up. She held up a small piano key. “It was very easy to search your mind to find the symbol we needed. And of course, my witch was _very_ capable of draining it out by force. It was why you hadn’t awakened. It’s been… a few days.”

“Days?” gasped Beatrix in shock. She squeezed her eyes shut, her side throbbing painfully. “No…”

“We are quite fortunate that your niece was idiotic enough to sabotage you and her mother herself. From there, it was quite easy for my son to find you.” Greta dipped the piano key into the tin of blood, smearing it before wrapping it into a handkerchief. “I ask for your opinion— do you think this will be enough for Klaus to recognize you, or should we add this to the gift box we intend to send?”

Greta held up another handkerchief. Beatrix nearly threw up. It was part of Hayley’s back— flesh carved out to show her Crescent birthmark. The vampire smirked as the Heretic turned away. “That’s a good answer,” she said darkly. She pulled out a fancy little wooden box from her pocket. Inside of it was a coin with an eagle. Greta carefully placed the bloodied piano key inside with it, then the torn flesh. “Roman.”

A young boy with curly dirty blond hair and hazel eyes entered the room. Beatrix glared up when she recognized him. He was one of Hope’s classmates. Greta handed him the box. “You know what to do with this.”

“Yes, mother,” he said before speeding out of the room.

Beatrix growled and tried to break out of her restraints again, to no avail. “When I get out of here, I will tear you and your son to shreds!”

Greta smirked. “You won’t get out, darling. And if you harm my son and I, then my daughter will come for you. Perhaps you know her. After all, she’s the girl dating that handsome Elijah Mikaelson who you once called your own.”

Snarling, Beatrix tried to kick out, but couldn’t. Greta looked overjoyed at her misery. “You hybrids are the worst of the lot,” she said. “Perhaps, you may not be as bad as the three werewolf-vampire bastards and the tribrid girl that runs amok. But you and that other Heretic are perhaps even more dangerous.” She grasped Beatrix’s face roughly. “Rest assured that you will all be dead. And half-breeds will cease to exist. First, I’ll kill that little tribrid bitch borne of Mikaelson blood. Then, I will have you watch as I kill Hayley and the father of her daughter. I will gather that Heretic girl— Valerie Tulle— and I will make you witness her beheading. And then, you will get the mercy of death, so that at the end, it is Marcel Gerard that has to see the bodies piled together, before he meets his end too.”

Beatrix let out a scream of rage, but there was nothing she could do. If she had her magic, she might have been able to use enough angry energy to blast Greta back. But with it being taken by force, she felt weak. Already, she could feel a pain in the pit of her stomach. She looked down and saw blackened veins had, after seven years, reappeared on her arms.

“Don’t mind those,” said Greta with fake-sweetness, taking one of her hands and sliding off Beatrix’s daylight ring, tossing it carelessly to the side. “The marks will be gone when you die.” She grasped Beatrix’s neck and snapped it.

She had only her memories to rely on in order to pass the time.

_It was 1902 and she and Elijah were having dinner out on the balcony._

_“You didn’t have to arrange this for me,” she said softly as she looked up at the stars. “It’s like you got an entire light show to be done in space.”_

_“I admit, I coaxed several witches into doing a ritual of blessing for the cosmos, so that the sky would be extra bright,” he said, smiling and putting his arm around her. “It’s your birthday, Itza. It’s a special day.”_

_She shook her head. “It’s not very special, Elijah. I’m… I’m just an abomination of nature. I shouldn’t be sitting here. My birthday is just a reminder of what I have stirring inside of me. One day, it will cause a problem.”_

_He took her hands in his. “Itza,” he whispered. “There is so much about yourself that you don’t love. And I wish that I could show you what you look like through my eyes.”_

_Beatrix blushed. “How do I look through your eyes, Elijah?”_

_He reached one hand gently over her eyelids, urging her to close hers. “I see,” he said, “someone who stands with poise and strength. Someone who has taken all the pain from their life and channeled it into doing good. Someone who is talented and majestic in every sense of the word. A powerful witch and vampire who is a force to be reckoned with. She has gorgeous tan skin, crafted by the gods themselves. Her eyes are dark like black onyx and shine in the light to become a gorgeous brown of smoky quartz. You may think that your eyes are plain, but in them, I find my favorite color. I want to be able to see those eyes every day for the rest of my life, having them be the first thing I gaze into in the morning and the last thing I catch a glimpse of in the evening. Her hair flows like honey, and she has lips that tempt me to kiss them every chance I get. All those things that you think are flaws— they are the most beautiful things about you, Itza. I love every single part of you. From the way you don’t back down to a challenge because you’re so stubborn, to the way that you sing softly in the shower when you think no one is listening. I love you. I love the aspects of you that you never notice. The aspects that you nitpick. You see yourself as an abomination, yet I see you as a goddess. You are worth so much more than you think. And I hope to one day be able to show you just how much you mean to me.”_

Her eyes opened again, and she saw that Hayley was awake. The house was different now— just as musty, but around them were windows, and a gentle light glazed over them.

“B-Beatrix,” gasped Hayley, turning to face her. “Beatrix…”

“Are you okay?” the Heretic asked immediately. 

She shook her head weakly. “Can’t… move. Too weak…”

Beatrix tried to move as well, and shook her head. “They took my fucking magic... my ring…”

Hayley leaned her head back, gasping hoarsely. “We’re… we’re not getting out of here, Beatrix,” she said softly. “This is it…”

“Don’t say that,” said Beatrix sharply. “Don’t you dare say that. We’re getting out.”

“They’re not going to let us live…”

“We’ll fight like Hell and live anyway, do you hear me? We—”

But they both stopped, listening to the sound of a car pulling up outside.

“Greta,” said Beatrix in a low growl. “I swear, I’ll tear her face off with my bare hands…”

“A-As long as you let me dismember her,” said Hayley weakly, trying to be funny.

“I will. We’re getting out, okay, Hayley? We’ve been through worse.”

The hybrid nodded. “Jackson…” she shook her head. “We… we survived worse.”

“Yes, we did.” Beatrix could see that Hayley looked so much weaker than before. Of course, she was the one they wanted to kill most.

The door opened and the two women flinched, expecting to see the wretched face of Greta. However, they saw Roman instead, with Hope in front of him.

“Mom?” the girl gasped. “Aunt Trix?”

She ran to them, and the two women looked up in shock. “Hope,” breathed Hayley. “Hope—”

“What is this?” snapped Hope, turning to face Roman as he slapped on some manacles on her so that she could no longer do magic. 

He looked guilty. “I’m so sorry…”

“What’s going on?” Hope demanded.

Beatrix glared at the boy. “He’s the one that led them to us in the church attic.”

Hope blinked. “But how did you know where they were?” Her face went pale. “You got inside my head. The first day you touched me. When you tucked my hair behind my ear. You were really just trying to figure out where my mom and aunt were hidden.”

Roman held his hands up in surrender. “Hope, look, I know this looks bad, okay? But if you just do the binding spell…”

“Binding spell?” gasped Hayley. “What’s he talking about?”

Hope faced the two women. “Greta said that if I-I did the binding spell, then they'd let you live.”

“She said that?” Beatrix whispered. “Hope, no—”

“It’s just so Hope can’t make any more hybrids,” Roman said. “Our movement is about getting the natural order back. That's all my mom wants.”

Hope whirled back around “Wait. Greta’s your _mom_?”

“Untie us, now!” snarled Hayley, kicking at her restraints. Beatrix began to fight as well, but Roman did not concede. “I can't. Okay? Just do the binding spell, and you'll be fine.”

“Nothing will be fine for you unless you untie us!” Hayley growled.

“Your mother is insane,” Beatrix said. “Let us go, Roman. You’re better than this!”

He looked almost indignant. “It's not insane to defend yourself, okay? Werewolves kill to trigger their curse. None of them are innocent. But at least they're a naturally occurring species. Hybrids are a perversion. Look at Klaus. And— and Henry was a hybrid for less than a day before he murdered someone. They're just _unnatural_.”

Hope scoffed. “Well, um, at least I know how you really feel.”

“We’re not terrible,” said Beatrix. “We have free will. Klaus did whatever he did not because he's a hybrid, but because he's Klaus. Henry is just a kid. Eventually, he'll learn self-control.”

“We’re going to train him,” promised Hayley. “He—”

“Mom,” said Hope softly. “Henry’s dead. They tore his heart out and strung him up outside Rousseau's.”

The two hybrids gasped in shock. “What? Who—?”

“No one knows,” murmured Hope.

Hayley stared at the blond. “I bet Roman's mother does. Think about it. If they did that to some backwoods bayou kid that they barely even knew, imagine what they're gonna do to us.”

“No!” he said. “My mom just wants peace. If you bind yourselves, you'll be free. You... You'll see.”

“And if you believe that, then you’re a fool!” snapped Beatrix. “Your mother doesn’t want to bind Hope and Hayley. She wants to kill them. As for me— she’s taken my magic by force ands he’s going to murder me, too.”

Roman shook his head wildly and pulled out his phone. “No. You’re wrong.” He dialed Greta’s number, and the woman did not pick up. “This is Greta. I'm unavailable. Please leave a message.” Again. “This is Greta. I'm unavailable. Please leave a message.”

“She’s not answering,” said Roman shakily.

“Maybe Greta didn’t recognize the number as your burner phone,” Hope muttered.

“Be smart, Roman,” pleaded Beatrix. “Why would your mother send you to the middle of nowhere for a Binding Spell? Why would I be tied up instead of being asked to do the spell?”

“I trust her, okay?”

“That’s what she’s counting on!” said Hayley desperately. “She’s not how you think!”

Roman looked livid with denial. “When I was a kid, werewolves literally tore my family apart. And they left me for dead. Greta saved me. She treated me like a son. She gave me a new family. Until your father showed up and killed mine. Because of him, I spent years desiccated in a cave. But the whole time, Greta never stopped looking for me. She never gave up. She's a good mother.”

“That’s not what a mother does,” Beatrix said. “She’s expecting things from you that no mother ever should. A mother who really loved her son wouldn’t use him as a soldier. Take it from two mothers— one who was an adoptive mother to a boy who had experienced loss, too.”

“Just shut up, okay!” he said harshly. “She just wants us to live separately in— in peace!”

“Until everyone she doesn’t consider ‘pure’ is annihilated,” said Hayley. “She wants us dead. You know we’re right.”

“She would never do that!”

“And you're so sure. You're so sure that you're willing to risk our lives on it, to risk Hope's. You have to let us go.”

He turned away. “I got to make a phone call, okay?” He walked out, and Hope immediately dove down to try and remove the ropes from Hayley and Beatrix.

“Keep trying,” said Beatrix encouragingly. “You can do it…”

“This is impossible!” she cried, unable to break through it, especially not with the manacles. “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry for all of this…”

“It’s not your fault, Hope,” whispered Hayley. “This is all Greta…”

“I just— I thought I was actually gonna fix it by doing the binding spell,” said Hope quietly.

Beatrix sighed softly. “You weren’t actually going to do it, were you?”

Hope bit her lip. “No, I was. But Dad stopped me at the last minute.”

Hayley tried to laugh to ease the tension. “You dad does have timing. Hope, promise me that you won't try again, that you won't ever deny any part of yourself. Promise me.”

The girl looked confused. “Aunt Freya said you didn’t want me to trigger my werewolf side.”

“It’s… complicated. And having all two hundred and six bones crack in your body sucks, it really does. But when you're running through the woods, under a full moon, with no thought of pain or... or trouble, just freedom... there is no greater feeling in the world.”

Hope looked down, and started to tear up. “I am so stupid. I… I actually thought that he liked me.”

Beatrix shook her head. “That doesn’t make you stupid, my sweet girl,” she said. “If… if we all judged ourselves by the mistakes we've made with the men in our lives, we would never, ever get any peace. Your mama told me that a long time ago, when you were still little, and it rings in my head every day.”

The tribrid let out a shaky sigh. “Nowhere to go but up, I guess. I just, I hate that I can't get us out of here.”

“I’m sure Aunt Freya is looking for all four of us,” said Hayley encouragingly.

“I cloaked Roman and me,” said Hope quietly, “so there's no way for her to find us. And I can't do magic with these stupid chains on. Wait….” she shook her head. “It’s a really bad idea, but… there may be a way to call for help.”

“Anything,” said Beatrix. “Just… say it.”

Hope looked down. “My mom would have to agree to the binding. If— if her werewolf side is removed, the spell on her will break. I don’t think it would work if you did it, Aunt Trix, because your magic is gone, and technically you’re just a vampire right now.”

Beatrix cursed internally. “And the spell isn’t broken because I can willingly put my magic away whenever I choose to. Removing a werewolf part of yourself is a much bigger release of energy.”

The door opened, and Hope quickly pretended she hadn’t been fussing with the ropes. “Who’d you call?” she demanded as Roman entered the room.

“My sister,” he said gently.

Hope scoffed. “Oh, there are more of you? Great.”

Roman held his hands up in surrender. “Listen, I don't know what's happening here.”

“Then let us go!” Hope pleaded.

“I-I can’t…”

“Then we’ll give Greta what she wants,” mumbled Hayley. “Call your witch. We’ll do the binding spell.”

Beatrix gulped as Roman pulled out his phone. She looked at Hayley and let out a shaky breath. “It’s gonna hurt like hell,” she whispered.

Hayley nodded. “I-I figured as much. Talk me through it…”

“The witch will soak moonstone in Hope’s blood. She’ll make a pentagram of chalk and burn wood, putting a bowl over it, that will hold fire to heat up the moonstone. They’ll press it to your palms and the soles of your feet, and finally your forehead.”

The hybrid nodded, closing her eyes. Within minutes, the witch had arrived— apparently she’d been on standby. She walked in and prepared for the spell just as Beatrix said she would. The Heretic watched closely, ready to criticize if anything. If the witch did it wrong, Hayley could die, and it would be very painful. 

How she wished she could have held her hand. Hayley let out screams of pain as the procedure began, and the witch chanted as she pressed the stone to Hayley’s palms, “ _Anima marcam. Iskoristi vuka. Anima marcam. Iskoristi vuka. Anima marcam. Iskoristi vuka. Anima marcam. Iskoristi vuka._ ”

The hybrid let out a shaky breath as the witch prepared for the stone to be pressed into her forehead. “It’s… a piece of cake.”

“Liar,” Hope whispered, trying to bring her mother some comfort.

“Hope, I think you should look away,” whispered Beatrix as the witch finished heating up the stone. Albeit weak, Hayley nodded, and Hope turned away. The witch began to chant once again, and pressed the stone on Hayley’s forehead, making her screech out in pain.

She was left with a reddish welt. “How do we know if it worked?” asked Roman urgently as Hayley’s head slumped forward.

The witch came to undo one of the binds on Hayley, extending her hand toward the bit of sunlight that entered the house. Hayley hissed in discomfort as it burned her, and the witch let her recoil her hand. “See? Nothing but a vampire now,” she said. 

Hayley took her chance to strike. Launching herself up, she tore into the witch’s throat, and before Roman could stop her, Hope swung the manacles up and slammed them into his head, knocking him out. Hope rushed to her mother, who had torn through the ropes to remove her daughter’s manacles. The two then tore the ropes from Beatrix, the three going straight for the door.

“Wait,” said Hope, just before opening it. She cursed softly. “The two of you… you can’t. You don’t have daylight rings.”

Beatrix gulped and shakily took her hand. “We’ll stay, then.”

“No!” cried Hope. “There— there has to be a spell I can do to shield both of you! You— you both can still move really fast, I just need it to hold for a minute while we get to the nearest building.”

Hayley shook her head. “No, baby, you have to go.”

“I’m not going without you! Freya’s beacon will have flipped out by now— they’ll know where to find us now.”

“And we’ll be fine, Hope,” insisted Hayley. “But it all makes sense now. They could have killed us at any time, and they didn't. It's you that they want.”

“No— I can take care of myself—”

“No, it’s not your strength that they’re afraid of,” Hayley continued. “You are a Mikaelson witch with a werewolf mother and an Original father. You are the one that could finally unite all the factions. And that goes against everything that they believe in. They thrive on hatred, and you... you, my sweet girl, are their worst fear. Which means you have to go. Yes, you have to go. You have to leave now. I love you. Now. Go.”

But it was too late. Just as Hope made to leave, Greta entered the house, blowing sleeping powder and knocking the girl out. The vampire smirked, opening the door enough so that sunlight hit both vampires, making them hiss in pain and jump back. The woman grabbed Beatrix first, ripping part of the door frame off and stabbing it into her gut before tossing her back and rounding on Hayley, slamming her into the wall.

“If you lay one finger on my daughter…” Hayley began.

Greta was indifferent. “I’d say you're not in a terribly good position to make threats.” 

“Mom?”

Greta turned to where Roman had awakened. “Are you alright?” she asked, letting Hayley slump down weakly beside Beatrix, who couldn’t get the wood out of herself. Hayley made to help her, but the Heretic shook her head.

“Don’t focus on me,” she whispered as quietly as she dared, taking advantage of the fact that Greta and Roman were talking. “Save yourself, Hayley, that’s an order.”

“Are you kidding me?” she hissed. “No! I’m not just leaving you here to die!”

“We’re both too weak. You have to get out for your girl, Hayley, please. Please. She can live without an aunt but she needs her mother.”

“You’re like a mother to her too, Beatrix, how am I supposed to tell her that I abandoned you?”

“I’m asking you, please, because I don’t want her to lose you—”

They both stopped as they heard the sound of fighting outside. Greta handed Roman a stake and motioned for him to kill Hope, and Hayley sprang up, tackling Greta, though she was no match for her now that her werewolf nature was gone.

Beatrix desperately tried to remove the wooden piece lodged into her. But she was too weak. There was far too much vervain in her system and she hadn’t fed in days. Roman came over, holding the stake at her, preferring to use it on her than Hope. “Don’t try anything!” he said shakily as Greta and Hayley fought near the door. “I-I’ll stake you!”

“Don’t do this, Roman, please!” Beatrix begged as the door burst open. Klaus and Elijah tumbled in, and Beatrix looked up hopefully, as did Hayley.

“Elijah,” she whispered as Greta held her by the throat.

But he didn’t recognize her. He dug a stake into Klaus’s back, causing the hybrid to bellow, spitting out blood. He looked around wildly, not knowing who to try and save first, even if he was in no condition to do any rescuing. His daughter lay unconscious closest to him. The mother of his child was in a chokehold by a vampire much older than her. And Beatrix…

“Roman,” said Elijah, coming over. “Are you okay?”

He looked like he’d been slapped in the face when he saw Beatrix. He furrowed his eyebrows. “Ianira,” he whispered. “Again… how—?”

A terrible scream sounded. Beatrix watched as Greta thrust her hand into Hayley’s chest, and Klaus yelled out in pain, unable to remove the stake.

“Elijah, help her, please!” Beatrix begged. “Please! You don’t know her, but I swear to you, she meant so much to you, not long ago, and I’m begging you— no matter what you don’t remember— save her!”

He looked back just as Hayley closed her eyes. Beatrix struggled to get to her feet, only to have Roman shove her back down. She thought that Elijah would rush forward. He’d tear Greta off of Hayley and—

There was another scream. Hayley ripped Greta’s finger right off of her, removing her daylight ring. It was a second too late when Beatrix realized what was about to happen, and she watched Hayley speed them both out. 

“NO!” Klaus roared. 

Beatrix let out a scream as she watched the flames erupt outside the doorway.


	70. Chapter 70

**How does a person tell someone that their mother is dead?**

The entire time that Freya and Beatrix waited for Hope to wake up, they asked themselves that question over and over in their heads. 

It was already the next day. Hope was sleeping, and had no idea what’d happened. Klaus had gotten them out late in the night, once Elijah had left with Roman. He’d gone to New Orleans, and Beatrix had taken her niece to the Salvatore School, waiting for Freya to arrive.

Hope shot awake, and the dreaded moment arrived. “Mom?” she gasped as Freya and Beatrix moved forward. “Mom? What— what happened? Where is she?”

“Breathe,” coaxed Freya gently. “You’re safe now.”

“Where’s my mom?” Hope demanded, looking directly at Beatrix. 

The Heretic’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. “Oh, my sweet girl,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“No,” whispered Hope. “She… no…”

Beatrix nodded slowly. “She’s gone,” she whispered.

Hope shook her head wildly. “No— no… no…” Freya and Beatrix immediately pulled her into a hug as she began to sob, words of denial continuing to spill from her lips.

How could they comfort her? Freya had already overcome the loss of her mother— an event she barely remembered. It was more fresh in Beatrix’s mind, but she too, had already grieved. What could they say in this day and age that would bring their niece any comfort? How could they understand how she felt? She was certain she was to blame.

It seemed Hope didn’t want any words. She kept sobbing, and when either woman attempted to speak, she motioned for them to cease speaking.

“Hope,” whispered Beatrix for the fourth time. “We’re here for you, no matter what. Anything you need…”

“I need to be alone,” said Hope, facing away from them as she dried her tears. “Can you like… wait outside or something?”

Freya and Beatrix shared a worried look but nodded, and respectfully left the room. The door shut behind them and they sat down, leaning against it.

“I always felt guilty for my mother’s death,” whispered Beatrix. “But I was so much younger. Things changed so quickly. I-I recovered faster when I realized it really wasn’t my fault. This situation…”

“It’s going to be so hard to convince her it wasn’t her fault,” whispered Freya. “She’ll feel guilty because she trapped you and Hayley in coffins to begin with.” The Mikaelson witch held out her phone. “Oh, thank God. Vincent says the plan is a go to help Klaus astral project to the funeral…”

Beatrix sighed and rubbed her forehead. “At the very least, that will help a lot.”

“This sucks,” Freya said, shaking her head. “She shouldn’t have had to lose Hayley. Klaus should be able to be there in person to comfort her. This wasn’t supposed to happen…”

The Heretic put her head in her hands. “It should have been me. I should… I should have done more. I should have died instead.”

Freya shook her head sternly. “No, no, don’t you start. The point is that _neither_ of you are to blame. Elijah isn’t to blame. Nor Roman. He was _manipulated_. He had no idea what Greta was planning. This is Greta’s fault and her fault only. Hayley… she made a choice, Beatrix. She chose to sacrifice herself just like you wanted to, seven years ago.”

“Hope needs her mother, Freya. I-If I’d have just gotten rid of The Hollow the way I wanted, to have it be in me, and have me die, then— then Klaus and Elijah would have still been getting along. Hayley and Elijah would have reconciled. Hope would have her mother.”

“And you are the closest thing she has to a mother figure now that Hayley is gone,” said Freya. “You helped to raise her. You were there whenever Hayley wasn’t. She needs you to be okay. You and Klaus will be the ones that can help her through this the most. She… she needs to know that she’s not alone in her suffering. That you two will help her. No one will ever replace the gaping hole that Hayley left behind but you can help her not be ruined by this. She could lose her mind. You need to show her that she still has a family who cares.”

Beatrix sighed numbly, not sure what to respond since she still felt that she should have died instead of Hayley. Freya’s phone began to ring, and the blonde answered it.

“The plane will be there to pick you up in half an hour,” came Klaus’s voice.

Freya nodded, even though he couldn’t see. “We’ll be ready.”

“Did you find a witch to help with our geographical predicament? I cannot miss the second line.”

“Vincent asked Ivy to do it.”

Klaus scoffed. “Ivy hates me.”

“Well, all the witches hate you,” said Beatrix into the phone, “but they liked Hayley, and they know that Hope needs you today.”

“Well, astral projection is tricky magic. This had better work.”

“It’ll work,” Freya promised. “You'll be there in the only way that you can.”

“I should never have agreed to this. I should be there beside her, holding her hand.”

“I know, Klaus,” said Beatrix. “But the consequences of you two being together have been escalating. We can't bring that kind of danger into the city. She can’t really put her magic away the way I can. It’s different with me being a vampire.”

“This is her mother's funeral! I should let the city burn. I'm sick and tired…” he trailed off.

Freya frowned. “What’s wrong?

Klaus’s voice was softer. “If this houseplant gasping for life is any indication, there's another Mikaelson in New Orleans.”

The two witches furrowed their brows. “That can’t be right,” said Beatrix. “Kol and Rebekah know to stay away and Hope is with us.”

They could practically hear Klaus gritting his teeth. “Elijah.” He hung up, and the two women had no choice but to wait until later to find out what had happened.

Hope was ready within fifteen minutes, her suitcase packed. She wore a black dress with red flowers— a frock her mother had bought for her. On the plane, both Freya and Beatrix changed into their own black dresses, sitting on either side of Hope, who was silent the entire flight.

When they landed, a taxi already awaited them. They rode to the French Quarter, arriving to the Compound to drop of Hope’s bags before walking out into the already crowded streets where the casket had been prepared on a wagon, topped with flowers from the Bayou. Several of the werewolves were gathered off to the side, but the majority of those there were humans who knew Hayley vaguely based on her contributions to the city.

Hope shifted anxiously as the three stood behind the men who would be playing jazz and walking with the wagon. “Where’s Dad?” she asked quietly.

“He’ll be here soon,” said Beatrix, taking her hand and squeezing it. “He’s just waiting on Ivy to help him with the astral projection.”

Hope continued to look around. “What about everyone else?”

Neither woman knew how to answer this. “Marcel is probably somewhere around with Vincent,” said Freya. She nodded toward a nearby wall. “There’s Josh.” The vampire waved, and the witches nodded at him respectfully.

“What about Declan?” said Hope, which made Freya tense. “Please tell me someone told Declan…”

“H-He’s in Ireland,” stammered Freya as the music started to play to initiate the procession. “I-I was so focused on everyone else…”

“Seriously?” Hope said, holding her own chest. “How—?”

“I’ll fix it,” Freya promised, pulling out her phone. Beatrix held her niece’s hand as the crowd walked with them, some dancing to the music around the casket.

Beatrix was used to this. Funerals were more lively to really commemorate what the person did. Especially with someone like Hayley, this type of send off would be seen as proper by the citizens of New Orleans.

But Hope was looking horrified. “This is all wrong,” she whispered. “She didn’t even know all these people.”

“She didn’t, but they knew her,” said Beatrix soothingly. “She made a mark on this city. Everyone is here to honor her.”

“But— but where are all of her friends? Where’s Marcel and where’s Vincent?”

Beatrix swallowed hard, looking back to where Freya was on a phone call, looking livid. Beatrix listened in, and heard Marcel say, “I’m with Vincent. There's something we got to take care of. Cover for us.”

“They’ll be here soon, I think,” murmured the Heretic. 

Hope wretched her hand out of her aunt’s grip. “No, this is wrong,” she said, clasping her own hands anxiously. “This—”

There was a screeching noise, and two black vans sped toward where the casket was, causing the people nearby to scream and disperse. Josh was the one who stepped forward, drawing back the curtains as the back doors of one of the vans opened. Inside were several of those who Beatrix recognized very vaguely as Greta’s comrades.

“Emmett,” said Josh. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Where are Antoinette and Elijah?” snapped Emmett.

Josh did not look happy. “Probably under a rock somewhere. Maybe you should join them.”

“We’re not going anywhere till they're returned to us safely.”

Beatrix made to grab Hope’s hand to speed her away, but suddenly, the tribrid witch thrust her hands to the side, and both Freya and Beatrix were tossed back into the nearest wall. Raising her arms again, the young witch walked menacingly toward the vans. “ _Bruciare supe terram, faciendo ignis ga praemium_!”

One of the vans exploded. “Hope!” cried Freya as the men inside of the other van raised their weapons. Realizing she was going to try again, Beatrix sped forward, catching Hope and going straight to the Compound,

“Why did you do that?” Hope snapped when they landed in the courtyard. She pushed Beatrix off. “

“Honey, this isn’t how you go about things,” said Beatrix, following the girl as she stormed to her room. “Trust me, I have acted out like this numerous times and it doesn’t help.”

“You turned your humanity off, it was different!” Hope snapped. “You killed innocent people! They’re the reason my mom died!”

“I know, but they want to kill you, and—”

Hope whirled around. “Stop nagging! I’m fine, and I don’t need your help! I thought you would be more supportive.”

“I want to be supportive without encouraging violence, Hope, you know that I don’t want that for you.”

“Well, who cares what you want for me? You’re not my mom and you’re never going to be, so stop trying!”

The Heretic remained at the foot of the stairs as the tribrid ran up the rest of the way.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Klaus walk past her. “Relax, love,” he said quietly, looking at her over his shoulder. “I’m not really here.”

“I-I haven’t taken back my magic yet, either way,” she said softly. She didn’t realize she had teared up until she saw him looking intently at her eyes. “I’m sorry— I should go. You need your time alone with your daughter.”

“Cease those negative thoughts,” he said. “If I could have saved all of you, I would have. Freya tells me you were wishing it was you instead. Neither Hope nor I wish that.”

“Klaus, she needs her mother,” she replied weakly. “I’m not enough for her. I need to figure out how we can fix all this so at least, you can be here in person for her.”

He half-smiled. “And I trust that you will, my little witch. If you’ll excuse me… I need to speak to my littlest wolf about my little wolf.” 

She watched him ascend. She sat down on the stairs, holding her head in her hands. Freya came in moments later, and pulled her up. “Marcel and Vincent are with Elijah,” she said. “They’re going to restore his memories.”

“Are they really?” whispered Beatrix. “Do you think they’ll manage?”

“They should. They took the memories away to begin with.” She pulled Beatrix toward the study. “We’ve been hearing about a prophecy while you’ve been gone. It’s all the things that’ve been happening when the Mikaelsons are in the same city as each other. It goes, ‘And thou shalt know the signs of blood from water, vipers from the rivers, larvae from the soil, ice rain from the skies, fire across the water, monsoons from the sea, the death of all first borns.’ As far as I can tell, it’s completely real. Every moment our family spends together leads us one step closer to our deaths.”

“So we’re all in blatant danger,” muttered Beatrix. “All the firstborns. You. Me. Hope. Vincent. Marcel, I’m pretty sure, and Josh. Davina. Declan. The list goes on.”

Freya nodded. “We need to find a solution to this, Beatrix.”

The Heretic clasped her hands together. “I’ll research what I can. Maybe you should take your turn talking to Hope now…” she nodded toward where Klaus was walking into the room.

Freya nodded and left. Klaus came over to Beatrix with a grave expression on his face. “The decision we made to take the power from her was to save her life. To save your life, as well. I had no idea it would ruin her in this way.”

Beatrix sighed. “I know. I wish there would have been a better way, Klaus. I really do.” She checked her watch. “We’ll be heading to the Bayou right at sundown. You—”

“Will need to be gone by then,” he finished. “Yes, I am aware. I’ll check in from the road.”

“There’s something you should know,” said Beatrix as he turned away. “Freya told me that Marcel and Vincent are going to restore Elijah’s memory.”

Klaus swore. “I explicitly said no…”

“I-I think it’s the right thing to do. Elijah needs to know who he is. All of this happened because he had no idea who he really was.”

“Well, that’s the point, Beatrix. He doesn't know. He doesn't have any idea of the damage he's wrought. If he finds out, it'll destroy him. Either way, we've lost him. I was trying to save him from himself.”

Beatrix looked down. “I’m sorry, Klaus. I should have fought harder to make things end up differently.

“We both know what you mean by that. And the last thing I wanted was for you to take in that magic.” He turned back to face her. “If it meant I had to be away from the two of you… I was willing. Because it would keep you both safe. I’m not blind. I see those blackened veins. I know that Freya made you one of her herbal teas. You are unwell, and it wasn’t even caused by The Hollow’s magic. I do not wish for you to be destroyed.”

“If it meant that you and Hayley could raise your daughter together, I would have done anything,” said Beatrix firmly. “I will always be willing to lay my life down for that girl. She means the world to me even if she’s not my daughter.”

“I know. And that is what I have always admired about you, Beatrix. I saw that stubborn, fighting nature the day I met you. Feeble and near death you fought, and I chose to help you live because I knew you deserved it.”

She half-smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Klaus,” she whispered. “Even if it’s not… as a couple anymore. You were always, first and foremost, my sire. My friend.”

He offered her a smile in return. “And you, always, first and foremost, one of the closest and most trusted friends I've ever had. I wish for you to be happy. I will aide you in that in any way that I can.”

“What if it would make me happy to die, if it meant you could raise your daughter?”

“Don’t speak nonsense, Beatrix,” he muttered before walking out.

Freya and Beatrix spent the day crying as they tried to research about the prophecy. Hope was in her room, likely doing research of her own.

Before they left for the Bayou, the young witch came to see them, wringing her hands together. “I-I know how much you both have lost over all these years trying to get this family back together. And... I know that you think that there's nothing else that we can do. But I believe that there is. There has to be. We have to save each other. We have to save always and forever. You've taught me most of what I know about magic, and... if you're up for it, I'd really like your help figuring it out.”

“Anything you need,” said Freya.

Hope bit her lip. “I want to take The Hollow back into myself.”

The witches were silent. “Hope,” whispered Beatrix. “Why…?”

“I-I need to get them together, Aunt Trix,” she said pleadingly. “And it’s my choice. This is what I want. I-I may have already sent the hybrids my dad made for me out to get my Uncle Kol and Aunt Bex. We’ll bring them to New Orleans. I have a spell I can do. I know you won’t like this, but I need you to respect that this is what I feel needs to be done. I know the prophecy. I will die either way if we don’t solve this.”

“I can take it,” Beatrix said, going over to her and taking her hands. “It shouldn’t be you, Hope. It shouldn’t be. You have barely lived. I’m a firstborn too, and I'm in just as much danger. You know I will always help you with anything, but I would really, really prefer that you let me do this. You and your Aunt Freya can do the spell, and I’ll take that magic in.”

It should have come off as suspicious to Beatrix when Hope slowly nodded. “If… if you’re really willing,” said the girl quietly.

The Heretic nodded. “Yes, I am. That’s what I wished to do before. If it means you get to live and have the family united, then I will help you.”

“I can create a Chambre de Chasse,” said Freya. “If your hybrids are going to retrieve my siblings…”

Hope nodded. “Yes. I would need you to get… Elijah. Aunt Trix can help me get my dad after the werewolf send-off.”

The two witches nodded. Beatrix felt good, for the first time in awhile. This was what she wanted to happen. She knew this was the right thing to do. Retrieving the piano key, she took back her magic, a rush flooding through her veins. This was it. She knew this was going to be her last day.

They left for the Bayou as the sky began to darken. Beatrix and Freya cast blessings on the casket once Lisina had had the werewolves put it on the canoe, covering it with a white sheet, as was customary. 

_“Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix. Mou sé li la paix.”_

“Aunt Freya,” whispered Hope from behind them.

Freya stopped as Beatrix continued to chant very quietly. Keelin had come through the crowd, and the two women ran to each other, embracing. Beatrix smiled to herself, humming and waving her hands over the lid as she finished the blessings that would help Hayley find her peace.

They began the short service within ten minutes. This felt better. The Crescent pack was gathered together, hands linked as they paid tribute to their Alpha. Marcel, Vincent, and Josh waited to the side. Freya chose to be the first to speak, and Beatrix stood beside Hope.

“People will forget the things you said,” began the Mikaelson witch. “Forget the things you did. But no one ever forgets the way you made them feel. Hayley Marshall... made me feel like I was part of a family. And when the realities of this life became too much to bear, we shouldered them together. We laughed, we cried. When I failed, she lifted me up. And when I succeeded, she danced by my side. And she did that for all of us. No one will ever be able to replace her, or heal the pain we feel at her loss. But we can honor her with our actions and with our words... We can love each other the way she would've wanted us to love.”

Freya wiped some tears from her eyes and walked toward Keelin, the two going over to Hope as Beatrix stepped onto the platform nearest the edge of the water. 

“The day I met Hayley,” started Beatrix. “I knew she was a badass.”

_She heard footsteps, and saw a beautiful woman with hazel green eyes walking toward her. “Who are you?” she said immediately, with a fierceness that surprised Beatrix._

_“A friend of Klaus and Elijah,” she said simply. “Where can I find them? Or Rebekah, that’ll be nice too.”_

_“Klaus just left,” the woman answered. “We’re having a bit of a dilemma with Elijah. If you’re up for helping, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”_

_“Sure, I’ll help. But what’s happened to Elijah?” she asked immediately. She sounded agitated, and the woman stopped._

_“Who are you?” she asked her again. “How do you… know them?”_

_“If Elijah is in trouble then there’s no time to explain. My name is Beatrix,” she answered._

_“Never heard of you,” the woman said bluntly. “But I’m Hayley. Now come with me.”_

“We had to go out into the Bayou to find someone. We’d been talking and out of nowhere, someone fired two arrows at us. She caught them before I could even react.”

_Every passing second made Beatrix admire Hayley more. She was so resilient and smart, tenacious and upfront. She led Beatrix into deep parts of the bayou, walking around like an expert._

_Suddenly, there was a creak, and Hayley whirled around, catching two arrows in midair that would have hit her and Beatrix in their necks. “Is that your best shot?” taunted Hayley. “You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you're gonna kill a hybrid.”_

“There was a time when Hayley and I didn’t like each other very much. We fought a lot…” she trailed off and let out a forced chuckle to keep herself from crying. “We were acting like stupid teenagers and competing for the attention of a boy…”

_Hayley seemed to have had it with people telling her what to do that day. Her eyes flashed amber and gold as she stepped toward Beatrix. “Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter,” she said coldly. “You’re not a mother.”_

_“I don’t think I need to be a mother to give my niece’s best interests in mind. May I remind you that it’s me who understands magic, and not you?”_

_“She is not your niece!”_

_“But she is Freya’s, and you ran her off!”_

_“Please stop,” Rebekah pleaded in the background, but neither woman was listening._

_“Don’t chastise me for trying to keep my daughter safe!” snapped Hayley. “Just because I don’t understand magic doesn’t mean I’m an idiot!”_

_“Don’t put words in my mouth, Marshall, I was never insinuating anything like that—”_

_“Then shut your trap, La Salle, I don’t even trust you either!”_

_“Oh, no, why would I ever expect you to trust me? I’ve only been doing every little thing to protect her since I got out of a fucking prison world, with hardly any breaks!”_

_“And whose fault is it that you got imprisoned in the first place?”_

_“Please, we just fucking established that it’s thanks to the idiotic New Orleans covens—”_

_“ENOUGH!”_

_Elijah had come back, and he was glaring at the two of them. “Clearly, I have fostered animosity between the two of you,” he said, his jaw twitching lightly. “But we have established that we’re all here trying to keep Hope safe. That will not happen if we don’t function as a unit.” He faced Hayley. “Beatrix has been kind enough to cast very powerful spells around this compound and your daughter’s room to keep her safe from Dahlia. She may not be Mikaelson blood but she is family.” He turned back to Beatrix. “Hayley is doing what any mother would do— what you would have done for Marcel— play it safe. While I would not have wished it to have happened as it did, I cannot say I blame her for the choice she made.”_

_“You were just hounding her about it!” snapped Beatrix, livid. “Now you want to come and defend her just because she started an argument with me, to not seem like you’re playing favorites?”_

_“You know very well that you were the one who started it, Beatrix— I heard your comment.”_

_“I didn’t think she was going to snarl at me for it!”_

_“I did not snarl at you!” spat Hayley. “Come at me again with smack talk like that and then we’ll see how I snarl!”_

_“Oh please, I’d destroy your body from the inside out without much effort— before you could even lay a hand on me!”_

_“BEATRIX!” said Elijah angrily, pushing her back as she impulsively made to move toward Hayley. “That is quite enough.”_

“But like any teenager, we matured. Hayley became the person I needed. Someone who helped me be calm. She helped me want to be a good person consistently. Any of you who knew me knew exactly how violent I could be. Hayley was supportive in aiding me to be the good role model I wanted to be for her daughter. She became my best friend. My sister. A co-parent. She was a wonderful mother to a beautiful girl. She made me feel loved in a group of Mikaelsons who didn’t have Mikaelson blood.”

She swallowed hard and looked up at the stars. “I will never forget how loved Hayley made me feel. She helped me heal. Some people leave gaps in your soul that are too big to heal right away. Sometimes, you never quite recover from a loss like that. As someone I… I once mentored said, ‘The worst day of loving someone is the day you lose them.’ Hayley Marshall was so loved. And she is someone that we will never forget.”

Lisina stepped forward with a torch. The casket was lit and sent out into the water. Beatrix returned to stand beside Hope, taking her hand and squeezing it. “Goodbye, Mom,” she heard the young witch say. 

There was a tap on her shoulder. Beatrix stepped aside when she saw Klaus, in the flesh. The Crescents looked worried when they realized Klaus were there in person, and they began to disperse, heading back to their homes.

Freya and Keelin started to make their way to Keelin’s car. Beatrix went to acquire a hug from Marcel, Josh, and Vincent.

She had waited only because she thought to help Hope with subduing Klaus. She watched as thunder crashed onto the casket and fire began spreading toward the land. Klaus chose to leave, and Beatrix cast Hope a look. The witch nodded, and Beatrix went to walk alongside Klaus.

However, before he could ask her what she was doing, both of their necks were snapped.


	71. Chapter 71

**If Beatrix were still as temperamental as she used to be, she would have strangled Hope.**

She awoke on the floor of St. Anne’s Church. Around her, people were moving. The first was Kol. Then Rebekah. Marcel. Klaus and Elijah. She sat up, and watched as Elijah began to sob. Confused, she looked down at herself. There were no blackened veins on her arms. 

Hope hadn’t put The Hollow into her.

“Beatrix,” said Marcel, coming to her side. “You alright?”

“She lied to me,” whispered The Heretic. “I-I thought…”

“I know…”

He helped her to her feet and she brushed off her clothes. Kol cast her a look and waved before leaving. Rebekah glanced at Marcel before taking her leave as well. Klaus seemed to want to console Elijah, but he couldn’t find the words. Marcel aided Beatrix in standing straight until she moved past him and went to kneel beside Elijah as he desperately grasped onto one of the pews, trying to breathe.

“N-No,” he gasped when he saw her. “I-Itza, no…”

“Shh…” she caressed his back. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

“I-I don’t… I don’t d-deserve…”

“Yes you do. Everyone deserves comfort, Elijah.”

“N-Not me…”

She cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs caressing over his cheeks. “Elijah, listen to me. There is a lot I would love to be angry about. A lot I could blame you for. I could hate you and I wouldn’t bat an eye. But that’s not how this is meant to go. This wasn’t your fault, Elijah. After all these years, I have learned to be more open minded. To be patient. I… I get it. You wanted the pain to go away and I can’t judge you for that. I did the exact same thing when I turned my humanity off. I killed my sister and so many other innocent people. I did that consciously, and all of you forgave me for it. So don’t torment yourself for what you did when you didn’t remember. This… is going to fucking suck. You’re going to struggle to cope and that’s normal. Hope will not forgive as easily. But even she will understand that this wasn’t your doing. It was another version of you. One that didn’t love as deeply as the real you. The _real_ Elijah. I forgive you, Elijah. And you deserve to have any comfort that you need.”

Shaking, he started to sob again, and she pulled him into a tight hug, caressing his back and closing her eyes as he grasped onto her like he was afraid that she was an illusion. That the real her wouldn’t be so forgiving.

But she had changed. She understood others and their pains. She knew how to let go. How to look for better and tell who is trying to be better. And she knew that no matter what, deep down, this was not Elijah’s fault in the slightest. 

“I-I destroyed her,” he gasped. “I destroyed H-Hayley. I tore a mother f-from a child. I b-brought harm to her. I s-swore I would always protect her…”

It was clear that Elijah would not be so quick to absolve himself from blame. 

They returned to the Compound and he locked himself in his room immediately.

Hope was waiting in Beatrix’s room. “Aunt Trix,” she said shakily, looking drowsy but otherwise fine. “I-I know what you’re going to say.”

But the Heretic said nothing. She went straight to the girl and hugged her tightly, beginning to cry.

“Why?” she whimpered, rubbing her niece’s back. “You— you’ve seen how it’s hurt me. It hurt you so long ago. Why… why would you do this to yourself? My sweet girl, the last thing I w-wanted was for you to be harmed.”

“I can handle it, Aunt Trix,” said Hope gently, hugging her back. “I promise.”

Hope had tried to act as though everything was fine, even though it most certainly was not.

“The curse that plagued our family for seven years has taken its toll on all of us,” said Klaus at breakfast, which was composed of a marvelous feast cooked by the finest chefs in the French Quarter. “On our city. On our home. On our family. The consequences of us being together were grave, but today, thanks to you, we celebrate a new beginning. One in which we have the freedom to stand side by side. And whatever trials may come, we will face them together, as a family. Always and forever.”

Hope smiled at him. “Would you please pass the beignets?”

Freya smiled at her from across the table. “Of course.” She handed the tray over to where Hope and Beatrix were sitting. 

At the head of the table, Klaus leaned back in his chair. “So, Rebekah will be back in a few days. She's just tying up some loose ends overseas.”

“It’ll be nice to have her here,” said Hope.

“It’ll be good to have all of us under one roof again,” Freya added.

They turned at the sound of footsteps. Elijah walked through the doorway, and Beatrix felt Hope tense beside her. “Good morning,” said Elijah. “Obviously, there is a lot for us to discuss. Hope, let me begin by telling you how truly sorry—”

She didn’t let him finish. “Thanks for breakfast, guys, but I have homework to catch up on.” 

She brushed past Elijah, and Beatrix turned to see that in her anger, the young witch had bent a fork. Klaus caught a glimpse of it and his jaw tightened. “That's not normal. She's not normal.”

Elijah sighed and sat down. “She lost her mother, Niklaus. I shouldn't have come down here.”

“At least you can claim amnesia,” said Klaus, “unlike our sister, who willingly aided a child in ruining her life even though there was an alternative.”

“Hope is not a child,” said Freya sharply. 

Klaus scoffed. “Did you even consider what absorbing all that magic could do to her? Have we not watched it repeatedly try to kill Beatrix?”

“What choice did I have?” said Freya. “Hope thought it would have killed Beatrix instantly, and she was right.”

“You could have denied her, defied her. We had a plan to keep the dark magic away from the both of them.”

“A plan that wasn’t working!”

“Yes, well, thanks to you, the magic has her now. So, if my daughter should be harmed in any way, shape or form, I will hold you personally responsible.”

He stormed out, and Beatrix awkwardly popped some fruit into her mouth. “That went terribly,” she muttered. “Freya, he’s just angry. We’re going to fix this though, and then, he needn’t act so bitchy.”

Freya half-smiled before walking out without another word. Beatrix and Elijah were left with filled plates, and they ate in silence. 

“You would have sacrificed yourself, Itza?” he asked once she got up. 

She nodded. “Without missing a beat.”

“Without saying goodbye?”

She sighed and faced away from him. “Look, I didn’t think your memories would be back in time. I didn’t think it mattered.”

“You didn’t think I would want to hold you?” He stood and came over to her. “There would have been so many things I wouldn’t have been able to say. So many apologies.”

“Elijah, you don’t need to apologize—”

He turned her to face him. “Yes, I do. The things I said before were not enough.” He put his hand on her arm to bring her into the memory.

_“My darling Itza,” Elijah whispered, just before Vincent and Freya began the spell to separate The Hollow. “I have long wondered what I might have said to you that day in 1914 if I had known that you would nearly lose your life. What I could tell you about how I felt. I treated you like a fragile object when you were confined in the Compound. I was so afraid to lose you that I imposed my control. Perhaps, Hayley is right to see me as a monster. It is what I am. I see you here now and wonder what I could have done to avoid this. To save you from the pain you have endured from our family. The torture. The heartbreak. I wish there was a better way to say goodbye. To be able to apologize for all the pain I caused you. I may, perhaps, never see you again. And it causes an aching in my soul that I’m not sure I can withstand. I wish, on this day, that in the next life, if we have one, our souls find each other again, the way they did in this lifetime. I am not sure how I will survive without being able to speak to you. To hear your intriguing thoughts. Your laughter…”_

_He leaned down and kissed her head gently. She whimpered, the feeling of his lips on her skin causing discomfort. “I should never have made you a second choice,” he whispered. “That day I saw you again, I should have taken you into my arms and kissed you. I should have… done so many things. I will forever regret them. The choices I made have hurt you, and Hayley. I only wish that you will be safe. You and my niece.”_

He released her and she gasped, not having remembered his words so clearly since she had been so near death when he spoke them. “I need to apologize for not looking harder for you after 1914,” Elijah said. “For not confirming anything. For not asking Marcel about you when we returned in 2011. For inciting a problem between you and Hayley. For ruining both you and her with my indecisiveness and selfishness, because I wanted you both, not just one. For— for not picking you.”

She gulped and turned her head away. “Elijah, don’t apologize for that. You and Hayley had something special. We’ve talked about this several times before.”

“I ruined her, Itza, don’t tell me I didn’t. I wasn’t even completely over you when she came along. And rather than let her be at peace with her husband, I continued to pursue her. I should have fought for your affections. You, who I had history with. You, who I could trust above all others. My soulmate. It is entirely my fault that she died because I reeled her in instead of letting her go and it destroyed her.”

Beatrix shook herself out of his grasp. “Don’t do this, Elijah. I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to give me a reason to live.”

“Itza, I respect your choices. I do. And I know that you believe this will be the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean I wish for you to die. Why would I accept that? Why? There— there are still several things I wish to do. I want to take the rest of eternity making it up to you. Healing. Making it up to Hope. To Hayley. I want to be the man you deserve, without faults. And if you die, how will it happen?”

Beatrix felt herself start to tear up. “This is what I didn’t want,” she said softly. “I didn’t want to strike up anything new. I know I’m going to die eventually, Elijah, and if I speed it up, I don’t care, as long as it protects my niece. She’s hardly gotten to live. I’ve lived for nearly three hundred and forty five years. That’s enough for me. Hope needs to see the world. And if I just sit back and let her die, I will hate myself until the day I inevitably follow suit. So please, Elijah, if you’re really respecting my choice, then don’t try to convince me to live like this. I don’t want to.”

He held her chin. “Why would you wish to die? Why— why have we failed you so much that you seek death as release?”

“I’ve lost too many people. My mother. My sister. Kai. Cami. Even Jackson— he and I were starting to become friends. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Just seeing people die and knowing I couldn’t have done anything. Who’s going to be next? Freya? Keelin? Vincent? I am going to die anyway. And after all the brutality I’ve seen… brutality that I’ve caused… I don’t want that to be my legacy. I want to do one last good thing with all of this. I-I told you about the Mayan myths. Chamer. If the Mayan gods really are real, The Hollow would permanently be removed from this Earth. I shouldn’t have lived as long as I did. I want to keep Hope safe. So please, understand that.”

He let go of her, and looked away. “Of course,” he murmured half-heartedly. 

“Thank you,” she said, closing her eyes and blinking away a few tears before walking out. 

She found Freya and Klaus talking on the staircase.

“Please, Klaus, I’m not the enemy,” said Freya. “Okay? Every time I look at Hope, I see the child of mine that I never got to raise. That's how I feel about her. That's how much I want to protect her. She came to me in so much pain, and I knew that she was gonna take back that power with or without me. Okay? So I gambled that if she felt like we were on her side, maybe she would let us help her.”

“Well, you couldn’t have been more wrong,” said Klaus in a snarky tone. “Now Vincent or Beatrix will have to come up with something.”

Freya pulled out a small golden chain as Beatrix walked up. “He already did.”

Klaus stared at it. “Hope’s bracelet.”

“She took it off for good a few years ago,” explained Freya. “Said she didn't need it anymore, but... now she does. Now, this won't stop whatever the dark magic is doing to her, but it could lessen her suffering until we find a permanent solution.”

Klaus sighed. “I know you love her. I never doubted that. I just…”

“Wish things were different?” mumbled Freya. “Me, too.”

Beatrix followed Klaus up as he went to deliver the bracelet to Hope.

“She’s got the same symptoms that you do,” whispered Klaus. “Already she’s disoriented. She keeps clutching her side, and she thinks I do not notice.”

Beatrix pursed her lips and took the bracelet. “I’m going to do everything I can to save her, okay? That’s a promise.”

They entered the room and found Hope painting. Beatrix sat down beside her and held out the chain. “ _Mi esperanza_ , I need you to put this on.”

Hope furrowed her brows. “No, I don’t need that.”

“It’s not a request, Hope,” said Klaus.

“Dad, you said it,” she countered. “I’m strong. I can control myself.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, you can't, not with this. I lived with that darkness for seven years. I know how awful it can be. When I was in proximity to my siblings, it was almost unbearable, and now you... You're carrying all of it inside you.”

Hope sighed. “Okay. If, um… if I put that on, do you promise to stop worrying?”

He half-smiled. “I’m your father. I’m always gonna worry.”

Beatrix fastened the bracelet around her niece’s wrist, and she saw Hope let out a sigh of relief. It seemed this had cleared her head enough to turn the conversation into an interrogation. “You lied too, Aunt Trix,” she said quietly.

The Heretic furrowed her brows. “I’m sorry? What do you mean?”

_“Aunt Trix?” asked Hope, having begun to paint. She was seven, and The Hollow had just resurrected Davina. “Are you sick? I heard my mom and dad talking about it last night.”_

_The Heretic let out a soft sigh. “In a manner of speaking.”_

_“What is it? Like a cold?”_

_Beatrix half-smiled. “Like a cold, in a way.”_

_“But you’ll get better, right?”_

_She hesitated to answer._

_Beatrix knew that this disease, this dark magic she was born with, was killing her. Perhaps the others wanted to find a solution, but she knew more than anyone that this would not be possible. Sooner or later, the effects would be irreversible._

_The Heretic was no longer afraid of dying. She didn’t fear the pain. She was relentless in wanting to fight because she didn’t want to waste the time she had left. If her time was limited, she wanted to do good. Ever since she’d come to terms with this, she had changed. She knew that she had the potential to give a lasting contribution, and she made it happen._

_“Yes, I’ll get better,” said Beatrix quietly. It wasn’t a complete lie. Her condition could improve slightly, which could be considered ‘better.’ But she would never be cured._

“You aren’t going to get better, are you?” whispered Hope. “You wanted to take the spirit in so that it would be gone faster. Because you know that you’re not going to live much longer even if it isn’t inside of you.”

Beatrix sighed. “ _Mija_ , I didn’t think you needed to find out about that.”

“How couldn’t I? I knew exactly which teas you were drinking each morning. I could hear how my mom used to check on you every full moon, wondering if the celestial event brought out any symptoms. Vincent and Freya were always being so… so gentle with you when you did spells. Not to mention you taught me less and less each time, like you were scared to do magic. And— and when we got back from the funeral, you didn’t take your magic back until you thought I was going to put The Hollow into you. You’re terminal. And you’re all worried because you think that I am, too. That’s why you cried yesterday.”

Neither Klaus nor Beatrix could meet her gaze. 

“Are you serious?” Hope said. “Aunt Trix, you can’t— you can’t possibly think that that would have gone well. How do you think I would have felt? It would have killed you, and I would have thought it was my fault!”

“But it wouldn’t be your fault, _mi pequeña,_ ” said Beatrix. “You need to know that it’s what I chose to do to protect you. This magic isn’t going to bode well for you. It’s too dark and your body isn’t more resistant to it just because you’re a tribrid. I’m a very rare instance of a being that can deal with more, but it’s just… not happening anymore. My body is too old. It’s been growing like an infection for centuries already, and I don’t want that same fate to befall you.”

Hope suddenly out out a hiss. She tore off the bracelet, revealing it had burned into her skin. She started to gasp, and Beatrix and Klaus made to move toward her, but she brushed past them. “I-I need two drams of absinthe,” she said shakily.

“You’re fifteen,” said Klaus as he and Beatrix rushed after her. 

“It— it’s for a spell. If the bracelet isn't working…”

“We’ll find something that does work,” Beatrix said. “I promise. Just, please— you need rest.”

Hope stopped suddenly. She turned around and once again, both vampires found themselves with their necks snapped.

**_**

They knew where she was without having to do a Locator Spell.

“She wanted absinthe,” snarled Klaus as they shot awake. “We don’t have that here. She must have gone to Rousseau’s.”

He sped off, and Beatrix chose to wait behind. After all, Klaus could handle it.

They returned seven minutes later. Beatrix was waiting at the entrance hall as Hope walked in, and Klaus sped in beside her. “What was that?” he demanded. “You won’t take my help, you reject the bracelet, you’re throwing Elijah around—”

“It stopped the voices!” said Hope loudly.

“What?” said Beatrix, flinching as she approached her niece.

Hope looked down. “Ever since I took the power back, the whispers... I can't think, I can't sleep, I can't even breathe. But right now, it's silent. Is this the rest of my life? A rage that can only be quieted by violence?”

Klaus sighed. “Hope, if violence is what you need to feel better, then you have the perfect father.”

“Let’s not jump to violence,” said Beatrix sharply. “I should siphon a bit, Hope, if you’ll let me. I can’t say I’ve experienced the voices so soon after the symptoms start, it’s usually just headaches and aches with blackened veins, with the whispers only appearing near the peak of the infection. A lot of fatigue and trouble sleeping, yes. Let me—”

“No,” said Hope, shaking her hand. “I thought I could handle it, I really did. I admit maybe I was rash. But I’m not letting you siphon. I… I think I’ll take my dad up on his offer.”

Klaus, of course, didn’t mind. “You’re handling it as best you can,” he told her, taking her shoulders. “And I’m going to be here with you every step of the way, alright?” He hugged her, looking over at Beatrix. He then pulled back. “Now. Beat me up. Make it hurt.”

“Is this really your choice of A plus parenting, Klaus?” said Beatrix as Klaus led Hope to the courtyard. He ignored her. “Come on, now,” he encouraged his daughter. “Get it all out.”

“This isn’t the way of going about it!” Beatrix insisted as Klaus stepped back. “Let me have her do some dark spell that’ll do good for some people. It’ll help her to get it out like that…”

Hope was clearly too desperate to expel the magic right in that moment. Beatrix understood it. Violence always cleared her head when she was in such pain. 

And thus, Hope began to toss Klaus around like a rag doll.

Beatrix wasn’t sure whether to step in. She covered her mouth as the young witch started slamming Klaus around. He was indestructible when it came to her spells, but he felt pain, clearly, and he was bleeding.

“Do it again,” he panted. “Harder this time. All of that pain, that simmering darkness. You need to purge it before it eats you alive.”

But this time, Hope didn’t do it. “It’s not working,” she said, putting a hand tentatively on her forehead. 

“You’re holding back,” said Klaus. 

Hope looked indignant. “You really think I want to feel this way? No matter how hard I try to get it out, I don't feel any better. You're not the one I want to hurt.”

And yet another chance for her father to show her the thing he knew best. Revenge.

“Give me a name,” he said. 

It flew out of Hope’s mouth faster than Beatrix expected.

“Roman Sienna.”


	72. Chapter 72

**It seemed Hope wasn’t the only one struggling to sleep.**

Beatrix was worried sick.

Klaus had gone to fetch Roman Sienna. Hope had gone to take a nap while she waited. Beatrix had attempted to sleep, since she had been knocked out several times and now she felt exhausted.

Of course, her thoughts were keeping her awake.

Worry.

Klaus was going to encourage Hope to be more violent than she naturally was. Aside from that, the darkness was going to eat her alive. Beatrix, more than anyone, knew how awful it would be for the tribrid, and she didn’t want her to experience that pain.

Sadness.

This sucked. Hayley shouldn’t have died. Hope needed her mother and it was absurd that she wouldn’t get to have one during the most important years of her life. Beatrix wished there was a way to resurrect Hayley, but she knew it didn’t work that way.

Anger.

Stupid Greta. Stupid vampire purists. Why did they deserve to exist when they just harmed innocent people? They’d crashed Hayley’s funeral and it was so utterly disrespectful that if Hope hadn’t been in danger, Beatrix would have let her blow up the other black van.

She spiraled down to more negative trains of thought. It was hard to stop herself from having morbid visions of Hope’s hypothetical death running through her head. She wracked the depths of her mind for a solution. She tried to meditate. Do some spells. Cook up some teas. Nothing was working. She couldn’t fall asleep and she couldn’t figure anything out.

So naturally, her mind decided to make her remember the randomest thing it could.

Elijah.

_“Dance with me.”_

_She furrowed her eyebrows. She was practicing some spells while he played the piano. “If we dance, the music will stop.”_

_“I can put something on the phonograph. We have one of the first Edison models either way. It’ll be good for us.”_

_Beatrix smirked. “Oh, alright. But I choose the song.”_

_She went to the phonograph and put on a song similar to the one Elijah had been playing. He closed the lid of the piano and came over to her, delicately putting one hand on her waist and taking the other in his. He started to sway her gently. Beatrix leaned her head into his chest, inhaling his scent._

_“I love you,” she whispered. “So, so much.”_

_He kissed the top of her head. “And I love you. So much more. I wish…” he trailed off._

_She looked up. “You wish what?”_

_He bit his lip. “I wish I had met you first, instead of Niklaus,” he said quietly. “I wish I had been the one to… to turn you. Since the day I first saw you, your beauty has had me transfixed. I should have made a move before either of my brothers had the chance.”_

_She giggled lightly. “We’re together now, darling, you know that, right? It doesn’t matter what history I have with your brothers. I love you. And I want to be with you.”_

_“I would have liked to be the first simply to protect you. I think, perhaps, if we had met first and I had sired you, I would have traveled the world with you, to keep you safe. I know you endured many things in that time. I could have kept you from being hurt by Niklaus.”_

_“Shh, Elijah,” she said, bringing a hand up to touch his face. “Let’s not look back on the past so much. In the present we are together and that’s what matters. I want you, not anyone else.”_

_“And I want you and only you,” he replied._

_He kissed her hard. She gave a small gasp, because it was the first time he’d every done it so ferociously. There was a hunger that she knew he’d been holding back. He grasped at her waist, pressing her up against him and capturing her mouth close enough to suck the air out of her. He pressed her back against the piano and she squeaked._

_“Not here!” she said, flustered as he began to kiss her neck. He grabbed at the front hem of her dress and tore right through it. “E-Elijah, your siblings—”_

_“Will learn not to meddle in matters that don’t concern them,” he said, lifting her skirt._

_“But this room doesn’t have a Silencing Spell—”_

_He sped back up and kissed her again, one hand against her throat, feeling her vampiric heart beating rapidly inside of her. “Here,” he said, smirking as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. “Because tonight I’m not holding back.”_

_It was the way that he was patient within that hunger that so enraptured her. He wanted and he took, but he never did it without first making her feel like she was a queen. He was oh so careful in every moment as he got her ready, causing her to whimper profanities that she’d never dare speak out loud. He’d say the dirtiest things so casually that it left her entire body shaking before anything had even begun._

_And then he’d unleash._

_Were it not for the fact she’d already been behind the red door, she’d have no idea where all that hidden emotion was coming from. She’d have been afraid that he’d break her, not knowing that he was in control despite how brusque his movements were. Right on the piano he pressed her face down and made her scream so loudly that the next morning, Klaus and Rebekah had neglected to show up because they could not stop laughing. They’d seen them at lunch and Klaus had not hesitated to make it a comedy show._

_“Niklaus, it is so childish of you to be acting this way,” scolded Elijah as Rebekah laughed while Klaus pretended to be Beatrix, mimicking the noises and the assumed faces she’d made._

_The hybrid smirked and put his hands on his hips. “Well, I was concerned,” said Klaus innocently. “The way she was screaming, I thought, perhaps, you came to your senses and decided to kill her.”_

_“Oh, very funny,” Beatrix snapped, though her cheeks remained crimson._

_Klaus wiggled his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t question his motives, love. You can get rather obnoxious.”_

_“You never complained when it was with you,” she said scathingly._

_“Arguably, love, I don’t have a hidden dark side. I’m rather overt about it. Elijah, on the other hand… it’s a miracle you’re walking.”_

_Rebekah smirked and drank from her wine glass as Beatrix covered her face. “It’s not my fault, I knew we should have gone to one of our rooms, at least they have Silencing Spells—”_

_“Elijah likes to put on a show,” said Klaus. “After all, don’t you remember how he used to listen to you and Kol going at it?”_

_“Well that’s because he was jealous, Nik,” said Rebekah pointedly. “Now, I think he wants to make you jealous.”_

_“I do not,” said Elijah firmly. “Beatrix and I have never complained when either of you are being loud with the partners you choose. And might I remind you that each of you are going for a different person each time? Meaning we hear a great variety of noises every passing day and neither of you have the courtesy to try any Silencing Spells of your own even when some of your partners are perfectly adept witches.”_

_Rebekah and Klaus shared mischievous looks. “Forgive us for fueling your ire, good sir,” said Klaus, bowing playfully. “Next time, might I recommend gagging or choking her? I really don’t need to hear her saying such filthy things about you. Oh wait, you already do that. I suppose perhaps you’ll need something a bit better. Try placing something a bit deeper in her mouth.”_

She awoke flustered, sweaty, and still exhausted.

It was strange to think back on those times. Klaus could be so immature and he always liked to make fun of her because the truth was, he really had been jealous. They were like a gang of immortal teenagers back in those days. They laughed at the most inappropriate things.

Beatrix went down to eat and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Elijah was there.

“Hi,” she said a bit shakily, acting as though she hadn’t just relived one of the most passionate memories between them.

“Itza, you’re awake,” he said. “I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to speak with Vincent. He is… currently dealing with a predicament. Several of the witches were fed vampire blood and killed. They are in transition, but I need to speak with him and I believe it will be better if you are there.”

She nodded a bit too quickly. “Yeah, sure,” she said. She walked past him to get to her food and he touched her hand to try and get her to sit next to him, but it opened a doorway for him to see into her mind, which made them both tense.

“I won’t ask,” he said after a very pregnant silence. 

“Thank you,” she said, mortified. She was an idiot, she shouldn’t have gone anywhere near him until she’d cleared the vivid memory from her mind.

She noticed he was smirking as she ate. She wanted to slap him, but she didn’t blame him for being amused. If it were the other way around, she’d be teasing him as well.

“We should go,” she said bluntly the instant she’d devoured her meal. She stood quickly and Elijah followed. 

“Vincent,” said Elijah as they arrived to the Lafayette Cemetery. “We must speak.”

“Elijah, I really don’t have the time for this right now,” said Vincent, not turning to face him.

“It’s about my niece.”

Vincent whirled around. “It’s too late for Hope. It's too late. Eventually, the darkness is gonna overtake her, and the kid you know is gonna be no more.”

Elijah frowned. “I don’t accept that.”

“You know, she barely survived this when she wasn’t even eight years old. Now, she’s a budding adult and she’s one human kill away from triggering her werewolf side. Now, you think she's angry right now, you wait until those claws come out and the eyes turn yellow. We’ve seen how bad it’s gotten with Beatrix and she’s much more mature and in control. Not to mention she naturally had more resistance to it. Hope doesn’t have that.”

Elijah pointed a finger at him. “I need you to fix this.”

Vincent sighed in exasperation. “I don’t know how to fix this, Elijah! Look around! All of these witches just woke up from the dead with vampire blood coursing through their veins. Now, as soon as their grief gives them one second's pause, they're gonna have to decide whether or not they're gonna feed and live forever, or end it all. They're my one and only priority, Elijah. That's it.”

Beatrix tugged at Elijah’s arm. “Let’s go,” she said quickly. She nodded at Vincent. “Thank you for your time. Good luck with this.”

Vincent nodded respectfully to her, but glared at Elijah.

When they returned to the Compound, they were greeted by the sound of panicked voices. 

Roman.

“So this is the new parenting style?” inquired Elijah as he watched Klaus sitting on the stairs with a glass of bourbon. “Allowing your daughter to mercilessly torture that boy?”

Klaus shrugged. “That boy held her, Hayley, and Beatrix hostage. He almost killed Hope and Beatrix and succeeded with Hayley. So, if my daughter decides to end his life, then that would make her someone who vanquishes her enemies, following in the footsteps of her father and her uncle.”

Elijah rubbed his forehead. “She was supposed to be better than us, Niklaus.”

“She’s ill!” Klaus snapped. “If this brings her some relief, then nothing else matters.”

Beatrix stepped forward. “Klaus, you know as well as I that the darkness is just going to return. It took me _years_ to expel what I siphoned off of all of you when you were poisoned. And the kind of spell I had to do was very dangerous. It may be a fuel for her anger but it would take hundreds of instances of performing very dark magic for her to get any sort of major relief. And even that won’t slow it down.”

“Listen to her, Niklaus,” insisted Elijah. “We have known her for centuries and there is no one I trust more when it comes to dealing with dark magic.”

Klaus glared at his brother. “I'm sorry, but I have to ask, as much as I enjoy your withering judgment, do you really have Hope's best interest at heart?”

Elijah frowned. “What are you accusing me of?”

“I’m not blind, Elijah. If you love that woman so much, go be with her. I have my own family to worry about and that boy is collateral damage.” He looked at Beatrix. “You should ask him about her. Antoinette. See what he tells you.”

Elijah gritted his teeth. “You are leading your daughter down a path that will erase her humanity. And if she loses that, Niklaus, the consequences will be devastating for everyone.”

“Just don’t!” snarled Klaus.

“Don’t what? Counsel you against your worst instincts? A thousand years, I have desperately tried to sway you toward some kind of reason.”

“And for a thousand years, I’ve trusted you.”

“So now what?”

“Our lives may be forever, but our allegiance is not.”

Elijah did not choose to stay. Beatrix rubbed her forehead. “Must it always be this way?” she muttered. “Seriously?”

“Forgive me if we’re not meeting your standards of a functional family, love,” Klaus muttered. “I have greater things to worry about.”

“You know that we’re both right. This isn’t going to help—”

There was a scream of fury from below. It was Hope. Klaus and Beatrix moved toward the entrance to the underground as Hope emerged, grabbing her arm and showing that she had blackened veins, just like Beatrix.

The Heretic swore internally. “Here, let me—”

“No!” Hope withdrew her arm. “I know it’s bad, I know I need to get rid of the darkness, I know that, but I won’t let you siphon it and I-I can’t kill him. I won’t.”

Klaus looked surprised. “Hope…”

“Dad,” she said, “he’s no more guilty or responsible than me.”

Klaus sighed. “All that power, still merciful. You clearly didn't get that from my side of the family.”

Hope faced Beatrix. “This is only gonna get worse, isn’t it?”

“I can slow its progress if you just let me siphon,” Beatrix insisted.

“I’m not going to let you hurt yourself because of me,” said Hope as Klaus walked off. “I just— I need to get it out. There should be spells I can do.”

“There are, but they are not things I would even want you involved in by yourself. Just give me some time to gather some darker spells that won’t hurt anyone. You can get it out. But this will only be a temporary fix. I need you to know that the truth is that at this point…”

She then stopped, hearing a conversation taking place in the next room.

“Niklaus, I think I have a solution,” said Elijah.

“You really think you can act as counsel when you're sleeping with the enemy?”

“I am not sleeping with Antoinette. Nor am I speaking for her or Roman. This is about Hope.”

“Oh, so this is about Hope, now. How touching you remembered her plight.”

“She’s faltering, isn't she, Niklaus? That rage, consuming her from within. It’s progressing faster than it ever did with Beatrix. You might not trust me right at this moment, Niklaus do you really have any other choice?”

Klaus swore. “Hope! Beatrix!”

The two witches walked over to the other room. Elijah looked at the two. “Antoinette is feigning taking leadership of those purists who followed Greta. She does not believe in their ideas any more than I do. We’ll use that gathering to get the magic and rage out.”

Hope frowned. “What do you mean?”

Beatrix bit her lip. “He means… it’s a chance for you to use that magic to kill all those purists who helped Greta kidnap us.”

The young witch looked away. This, of course, seemed more appealing than hurting Roman. “I’ll do it,” she said.

“Good,” said Klaus. “Fine. We’ll do it. Beatrix, tell Marcel to meet us there.” He grabbed onto their arms and sped them all away to St. Anne’s, where Antoinette was standing at the altar, speaking with the group. 

Klaus, Hope, and Beatrix waited in the shadows as Elijah walked in, making a grand entrance as per usual. “I must confess,” he told the stunned group, “that I myself have recently had a change of heart.”

He went to stand beside Antoinette. “Today, we go to war. But those of you who are not resolute in the belief that we are the one and the only true species— the time for you to leave is now.”

No one wavered. “We’re with you,” Beatrix heard Emmett say. The others nodded their agreement.

Elijah nodded. Beatrix saw how Antoinette looked up at him in admiration as he continued to speak, “Now, Greta died in the name of purity, and thanks to the unwavering conviction of her followers, particularly those of you who chose to lead when she was gone, her message lives on. So now, for those who stood by her, you will share her fate.”

Klaus threw open the main doors and walked in, Hope behind. Beatrix lingered, awaiting Marcel’s arrival.

“What are they doing here?” snapped Emmett when he saw the hybrid and tribrid.

“The road to redemption is long and winding, but worthy,” said Elijah.

Emmett seemed to be the first to realize what was about to happen. He made to run, but with ease, Hope raised her hand and trapped the vampire purists right in their tracks. Emmett faced Antoinette and Elijah. “You betrayed us.”

Antoinette shook her head. “We told you what my mother thought.”

“And we never said we agreed,” chimed in Elijah.

Klaus smirked. “You can leave them to us now.”

Beatrix felt a hand on her shoulder as Elijah and Antoinette sped away. Marcel had arrived, and she greeted him with a smile as the two walked up to watch.

“Go on, sweetheart,” said Klaus to his daughter. “Let it all out.”

And she let out a mighty scream. Blue light cascaded around the room, an explosion concentrated in the church and made of pure darkness. The vampires screamed, their eyes beginning to bleed as they were consumed. They tried to claw their way out to no avail. A minute later, they were all on the floor, lifeless.

Hope panted lightly. The blackened veins had disappeared from her arms. “Are they all dead?”

Klaus looked smug. “Immortality isn't for everyone. You should consider what you did an act of public service.”

Marcel moved forward toward Hope. “Hey, kiddo, you okay?”

Hope nodded a bit. “I-I’m… um… numb.”

Frowning, Beatrix pressed her inner wrist to the girl’s forehead, then pressed her fingers against her neck. “It was a big release. You might feel dizzy because of it.”

Hope nodded. “Yeah… it’s that. I’m fine. I feel really good. Thank you.”

She moved to stand beside Marcel, who had a forlorn look in his eyes. “You okay?” she whispered.

“Um, not really,” he said honestly. “Do you think you can come with me?”

“Of course,” she said. “Anything you need.”

He took her hand and sped them away. They arrived at the place that used to be Marcel’s loft, a place that now belonged to Josh. Marcel turned to face her. “He’s dead, Beatrix,” he said, tears brimming in his eyes. “Josh is dead.”

She clapped her hands over her mouth. “No!”

“Those… those vampires kidnapped me. They were taking my poison. And when… when he came to save me…” he choked and shook his head. “My p-poison killed him. He didn’t last more than a few minutes…”

Beatrix pulled him into her arms, and he began to sob. He shook his head as she rubbed his back, trying to whisper the most soothing words she could. But this hurt. Over the past seven years, Beatrix had gotten closer to Josh. This was unfair. This shouldn’t have happened.

_Beatrix promptly arrived at the Claire tomb, and found Davina already inside with Josh, one of Marcel’s vampires._

_“Oh, hey Trix,” said Davina, looking a bit better than she had in past days. “Are you here because of Aiden?”_

_“Er— who’s Aiden?”_

_“Definitely not,” said Josh with a light chuckle. “I don’t know if you remember the guy that was with me at Hayley’s wedding? That’s Aiden.”_

_Beatrix furrowed her brows. “I think I know who it is, then. I don’t talk much to the wolves. But why? Is he doing something important?”_

_“Told us he’d meet us here soon, he’s retrieving something from the compound,” said Josh. “He said he’s got some idea about a way to protect Hope.”_

_“Well, that’s good news. I actually came to deliver some notes to Davina. I’ve been researching some things we can do to bring Kol back, and this is my research so far.” She dropped the stack of paper on her table. “I thought you might like to look it over, pinpoint anything you’d like to try.”_

_Davina smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate it. No one else has really been much help. But, at least, the dagger is made so I have my full attention on this problem.”_

_Beatrix went over to look at what Davina was writing— some spell from an old-looking grimoire. “You’re a hard-worker. Got to remember to get some sleep, though.”_

_“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” sighed Josh._

_“I don’t need sleep, I need progress,” said Davina in response. “I’ll sleep soundly when I know Kol will be back.”_

“He’s going to be at peace,” she whispered. “I know that he is. He’s… he’s going to be with Aiden again…”

Marcel sniffled. “He b-better… better have… been there to greet him…”

They chose to do a tribute with drinks. Marcel brought out his best bottle of alcohol and he and Beatrix sat side by side on the floor, backs resting on the couch.

Marcel held up his glass. “You know, it's funny you brought up my whole loyalty thing. Truth is, you were always more loyal than I was. To your friends... to the city. To what you believed. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

He drank, and Beatrix held up her glass next. “It’s very rare to find a vampire who is so caring that he, without hesitation, will associate with the other factions. Josh had the best heart out of all of us. You will find peace, and I hope to see you again when I do, too.”

She drank. Marcel leaned his head back and sighed quietly, though their silence was interrupted by the sound of Beatrix’s phone chiming.

“It’s Klaus,” she murmured as she looked at the screen.

‘Bad news. Hope’s curse has been triggered.’


	73. Chapter 73

**Everything felt like it was falling apart.**

Vincent’s witches hadn’t transitioned. They had died, and Beatrix had paid her respects. 

She’d left Marcel while he was still grieving and took charge of contacting Davina and Kol, who were already on their way. That morning, Freya had let them all know that she and Keelin were getting married.

Hope was devastated, and she refused to let anyone see her. Klaus had gone to talk to her, but it didn’t seem to have gone well.

“Where are we going?” asked Elijah as Beatrix dragged him up to the attic. “Are we going to speak about—?”

“No, we’re not talking about what you saw in my mind yesterday. Everything is going to shit and I’m going to be busy today, so I’m leaving you here to look through the stuff that Hayley left behind because I think it’ll be healthy for you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re holding back the emotions that need to get out. I won’t have you lose yourself just like everyone else. So keep yourself occupied, I’ll be back later.”

He caught her arm before she could leave. “And where will you go?”

“Well, for starters, I need a dress for the wedding. Secondly, I’m going to go pick Davina and Kol up from the airport to take them to the apartment they have here so that I can help Davina pick a dress from the ones she brought.”

That was how Beatrix coped nowadays. In the past, she went on rampages. She acted like a monster. Now, she occupied her mind to not leave herself room to think of all the troubles that plagued her day in and day out. 

“Thank you for the ride, Trix,” said Kol as Beatrix held open the door for him and Davina to bring in their bags. “My, I never thought I’d see this place again so soon. Belize has been treating us very well.”

“I’ve never been healthier,” said Davina, though she looked sad. “There’s so much to do and the environment just makes you feel in control of everything.”

“Not to mention my wife has a friend group of some very talented witches, though she of course, is the most talented,” said Kol, passing by Davina and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Davina came toward Beatrix and hugged her. “It’s good to see you again. After everything…”

“I know,” she whispered. “And I’m so sorry.”

“I-I should have come to visit him again. I was so wrapped up in the life that Kol and I made over there…”

“It’s not your fault, alright?” said Beatrix. “Don’t feel like you’re to blame.”

There was a knock on the door, and Kol went to open it. “Hello, brother,” came Klaus’s voice.

“Well, that’s a suspiciously warm greeting,” observed Kol.

“Paranoid as usual, I see. But don’t worry, it’s not you I’m looking for. Beatrix told me you brought Davina with you. They’re still here, aren’t they?”

The witches came back to where Klaus could see them. “Well, then, it must be important if you’re asking me for a favor,” said Davina, hands on her hips. “I’m in mourning, if you even care.”

Klaus walked past Kol and into the apartment. “I’m sorry, but it’s about Hope. You recall the blackened veins that Beatrix gets? She has them. We thought we’d expelled them when we had her unleash the magic, but they’re back, and today, I noticed a new line on the back of her neck. I’ve only seen it spread that far on Beatrix once before, and it was because The Hollow willed it to be so. I need— I just need you to do anything you can to solve this. I need to know exactly what it means.”

Davina pursed her lips. “Alright. I think I have an idea of what we can do. Where is Hope?”

“She’s at the Lafayette Cemetery. She’s been there all morning, crying over the man that she killed. She’s triggered her curse, and the full moon is in a week.”

Davina grabbed a coat from inside her bag and put it on. “I’ll be back. Kol, Beatrix, if you can prepare the bell tower for a spell, I’d appreciate it.”

“Thank you,” said Klaus quietly before she could leave. “Really… thank you.”

Davina half-smiled and walked out. Klaus sped off in the other direction, and Kol and Beatrix made their way to the bell tower that Freya used for her spells.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Kol asked quietly. “She’s dying.”

Beatrix nodded grimly. “It would seem so. But Davina definitely has something in mind so let’s… see what it yields. There won’t be a permanent solution but there might… be a better way of slowing it down. Hope won’t let me siphon anything.”

“That’d just split it into the both of you. Then you’d both be dying. It’s not a good idea, Trix.”

“Kol, I’ve lived for so long. She deserves to grow up properly. I don’t want her to die.”

“Nor do I. But I don’t want you to die either. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about being with Davina it’s about how precious life is when we stray away from what we are. With her, I feel human again, even if I can’t do magic. I can forget that I’m an Original. That I’m a Mikaelson. She makes me feel like I’m special and after all this time, she has me thinking about things I never even considered before. Like a family. A real family that we’d make. One that wouldn’t have to deal with betrayal. A healthy family. And you— you’ve tied yourself down to my brothers for too long. You’re raising your niece amidst their influence and it hasn’t let you be free enough.”

“I will feel like I can be free when I find a way to save that girl. Perhaps she’s only my niece but she’s like a daughter to me, and she’s lost her mother. She doesn’t deserve to die because she just wanted to be able to hug her dad without the world going to shit.”

Kol sighed. “Stubborn as ever, Trix. I suppose that’s why you and I always got along so well. Once we have an idea in our heads, we stick to it.”

She grinned. “Yes, we do.”

They prepared herbs, salt, a bowl, and candes for Davina. She returned with a small vial of water.

“I have Hope’s tears,” she said, holding up the vial. She handed it to Beatrix and used the salt to make a circle, placing five candles equally spaced around it. She set down some of the grimoires that belonged to Esther (which had been stored by Freya in a cabinet) and placed the herbs and the tears into the bowl.

“I don’t recognize this,” said Kol, leaning onto her.

“It’s a transcription spell,” said Davina. “We know that the magic’s basically consuming Hope. So Beatrix and I are going to use the magical signature in her tears to see if we can find an antidote.”

“If?”

Davina pursed her lips. “And if there is one, then it’ll be in one of Esther’s grimoires, and this spell will lead us right to it.”

Kol kissed her forehead. “Gorgeous, brilliant, and powerful.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Remind me to never piss you off.” He looked up at Beatrix. “My wife is amazing.”

Beatrix smiled. “That she is. Now, you both need to be forewarned that this is most likely terminal. There’s a lot that Freya and I have already tried and I don’t know if any antidote will do a good enough job of slowing this down.”

“We should still try,” said Davina. “It might be different for Hope. She was born a tribrid but not through dark magic. She’s descended straight from the Originals.”

The Heretic nodded. “Alright.” She and Davina stood on opposite ends of the circle and put their hands over it. _“Mennen nou au sort. Ledat remedium. Mennen nou au sort. Ledat remedium.”_

Nothing. “Something’s wrong,” murmured Kol as they began to chant again.

_“Mennen nou au sort. Ledat remedium. Mennen nou au sort. Ledat remedium.”_

The witches jumped back as the candles flared up, and the grimores all caught on fire. When the flames died down, the spellbooks were in pieces. Davina swept her hand through them and found nothing had survived. “It— it’s gone,” she said.

Beatrix sighed gravely. “That means it’s killing her. There’s nothing that will slow it down.” Her phone chimed and she looked down to see a text from Rebekah. ‘SOS. Wedding crisis.’

“I’ll keep you updated,” she told Davina and Kol before speeding off. She found Rebekah pacing the courtyard of the Compound.

“What happened?” asked Beatrix worriedly.

“It’s Freya,” sighed Rebekah. “She told Keelin about her not wanting kids but I believe my sister may not have worded it too well, and the wedding’s been called off. I have already spoken to Freya, but I think, perhaps, you should speak to Keelin. I’m going to speak with Nik...”

“Then you should tell him that Hope is dying,” said Beatrix softly. “This infection is spreading far too fast. It’s only a matter of time.”

Rebekah began to tear up and nodded before speeding out. Beatrix went to where Keelin was packing up her makeup. “Hey,” she said. “I hear that a difficult conversation was had.”

“She pulls this crap just hours before we’re going to get married,” muttered Keelin. “Hours… why didn’t she just tell me before?”

Beatrix sat down on the ottoman beside her. “She’s scared. She grew up without her mother and felt betrayed. When she found her siblings, she learned how terrible their father had been to them. I know she already told you about the child she lost before. I think that deep down, she does want a family with you, otherwise she definitely would have said something about it before. You know the Mikaelsons, they speak their mind about things they really hate.”

“Well, I need her to tell me that,” said Keelin, rubbing her forehead. “I love her, Beatrix. I want to marry her. But why…”

“Keelin.”

Beatrix stood as Freya came into the room. Giving her a reassuring smile, Beatrix left the room, only to find Elijah about to walk out with a suitcase. “Um, where are you going?” Beatrix asked. “I thought Freya said she was going to ask you to walk her down the aisle.”

“I can’t do it,” said Elijah, shaking his head. “I can’t.”

She frowned. “Your family needs you today, Elijah. Your sister wants you to be there for the happiest moment of her life. And I know that Klaus needs you, too.”

“I knew you.”

“What?”

“I-I knew the both of you. I knew who you were.” He set down the suitcase. “Hayley. And you. I knew who you were, that day. Five years ago, I met Hayley in Manosque. Obviously, I didn’t know who she was at the time. Still, in the few hours that we spent together, we had… a profound connection. Then, a year later, it was you. I recognized you more. I knew the poem. I knew I’d heard the name ‘Ianira’ somewhere before. Even though you remained at my side for far less time, I knew you.”

He walked closer to her. “You— you have to understand that when I walked into that farmhouse and I saw you both, I was just completely bewildered. In that mayhem, in that turmoil, I could only see you both— Hayley especially— as some agent of deception for the very family that I was at war with. It— it wasn’t until all my memories returned that I realized…”

He let out a soft gasp and began to cry. “I could have saved her. You asked me to. I shouldn’t have questioned it. I could have saved her, Itza. I… I can’t forgive myself. And neither should any of you.”

She caught his arm before he could walk away. “Elijah, don’t you dare say that. Just as you are capable of forgiving, you are capable of being forgiven too. You didn’t know. You didn’t know and it’s not your fault, alright? Please… don’t leave. Hope is dying, Elijah. Your sister is getting married. This isn’t the time to walk away. I’m begging you, don’t go.”

“I suspect I’m the last person Hope needs right now,” he said firmly. “Itza, time has never been in our favor. There was always something that kept us apart at the beginning and now, it’s never worked. Perhaps the universe has been trying to save you from being ruined by me. You— I know that you feel something. I saw into your mind and it was enough to know that the feelings linger. I’m asking you not to feel it. You say you don’t want me to give you a reason to live, so I won’t. I’m begging you— let me go.”

She had teared up. “Elijah, I-I said that because I wanted— I wanted to die to save my niece. You’re walking out when we all need you!”

“Let me go,” he demanded. “Let me go, Itza, please, don’t do this to yourself. I’m not the man you deserve. I can’t save you. I can’t save my niece. I’m responsible for her mother’s death. I’m useless to this family. I’m toxic. So I’m begging you to let me go.”

“I don’t bloody want to, Elijah!” she cried. “I may not want you to give me a reason to live but I don’t want to let you go, either! I haven’t forgotten you this entire time. Every moment that I was in that prison world and even now when I’ve been out of it for more than a decade, you’re always there in the back of my mind. I still love you, it’d be impossible not to!”

He moved faster than she could have expected. He picked her up and kissed her so hard that she got the wind knocked out of her. 

Beatrix had always loved how Elijah kissed her.

Tender but rough. He knew exactly how to make her gasp for breath. His mouth molded perfectly with hers, as if they really had been a match made by all the Mayan gods. 

Everything was bliss. For one moment in time, she forgot all her troubles. All she felt was love and it was all for Elijah. 

But when it was over and reality had set back in, they were both crying once more. He left. This was his goodbye. Beatrix had gotten into her dress and gone to the venue feeling empty. 

“Aunt Trix, are you okay?” asked Hope.

Beatrix blinked away some forming tears. “I’m fine, _mi niña_. Are you?”

She smiled. “Yeah. I’m perfectly fine.”

She got lost in the music. The musicians played a lovely melody as Rebekah walked out. Keelin was already at the makeshift altar in a white pantsuit with an open back. Kol awaited beside her to officiate the ceremony. Beatrix was beside Davina and Marcel, on the left, where Keelin stood. Hope was on the opposite end, set to be the ringbearer.

Her breath hitched when she saw Freya.

Both Klaus and Elijah were escorting her. She was in a beautiful gown that flowed off her shoulders and swept to the ground like snowflakes coiled into fabric. Beatrix met Elijah’s gaze and quickly looked away as Rebekah came to stand on the right, as did Klaus and Elijah once Freya had come to stand across from Keelin.

“What happened to your dress?” whispered Freya, smiling at her bride.

“Are you kidding, girl?” said Keelin with just as big of a smile. “I’m not taking any chances.”

Kol cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved. Now, not to make this all about me, but we know how families work. Sometimes it’s dinner, and sometimes it’s daggers.”

He chose to look over at Klaus, who perhaps might have found it amusing had he not been so worried about his daughter.

“Now, I don’t know why it takes something as special as this to wake us up, to make us aware of the beauty in the moment, during the moment, or to be grateful for what we have, while we have it. Now, I, for one, am grateful for today, and I’m grateful for all of you.”

He faced the left. “Keelin, when I first met you, I would have never predicted that you would become my sister. Now, you’re strong and beautiful, and deserve nothing but the best in life. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are proud to welcome you into our family. And we pledge to respect you in all instances. Our sister is very lucky to have found you when she did. You two mesh well together and I think that you bring out the very best in her.”

He turned to the right. “Freya, when I first met you, I had no idea you were my long-lost sister. Now, I have grown to value my family because of how welcomed you made me feel. You were the big sister I had always needed, and I had no idea. I see how you smile around Keelin and it warms by heart knowing you found someone that makes you this happy. You two, in my opinion, are really meant to be.” He looked over at Hope. “The rings, please.”

Hope took a cushion with the two wedding rings and handed it to Kol. She took the bouquet Freya had been holding and each woman took a ring.

Keelin held hers up first. “With this ring,” she said, smiling, “I, Keelin, take you, Freya, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us.”

Freya had teared up as Keelin slipped the ring on her finger. “With this ring,” she repeated, “I, Freya, take you, Keelin, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us.”

Kol clapped. “See, they didn’t even have to repeat after me,” he joked, making the others laugh. “Now, for your vows. Link hands.”

They did. “I, Keelin,” began the wolf, “take thee, Freya, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

“And I, Freya,” said the witch, “take thee, Keelin, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

Kol handed the cushion back to Hope. “Now, by the power vested in me by a Franciscan monk in the 13th century, and by the Internet a few hours ago, just to be on the safe side, I now pronounce you married. You may both kiss the bride.”

The two came together in the center and the attendees clapped. Beatrix watched as her niece turned her head, exposing the blackened veins that were indeed rising up her neck. The young witch looked up at the archway of white flowers. “Tomar lento. Namaz amor.”

The flowers burst into hundreds of small white butterflies that flew into the sky. Again, Beatrix and Elijah seemed to subconsciously look at each other, but neither spoke a word.

The instant evening hit, they had a marvelous feast. Everything felt wrong. They chatted as though everything was okay when it really wasn't. And, of course, once they’d each had quite a bit of champagne, they began to dance under the light of the lanterns that’d been set up for them, trying to act as though there was nothing to be worried about. They all wanted to make Freya and Keelin's day special, and they held back from being pessimistic.

Keelin and Hope were together, swinging each other around. Kol and Davina were dancing a bit more traditionally, though with quite a bit of twirls. Off to the side, Rebekah and Marcel were having what appeared to be a serious conversation. Freya and Klaus were on that same page.

Beatrix noticed that Elijah had isolated himself. Without hesitation, she walked over and extended her hand to him. “Dance with me,” she said.

Elijah took her hand without protest. “Your words were ringing in my head during the hour leading up to the wedding,” he said as she pulled him into the center. His hands went on her waist as she draped hers around his neck. “I knew I had to be here.”

“And I’m sure that Freya and Keelin really valued that,” she whispered. “I’m proud of you, Elijah.”

“I love you, Itza,” he whispered, bringing his forehead to rest on hers. “I didn’t say it back earlier and I should have. And as much as I respect that you choose what to do with your life just as I choose what to do with mine, I do not wish for you to die any more than you wish for me to leave.”

“I know,” she murmured. “We need to find another way to save her. It’s imperative. If we can’t, then I will take that magic in. I have to. This illness will destroy her.”

“But Itza—”

“What will happen to Klaus if she dies?” she whispered. “He’ll lose his mind if he sees her take her last breath. He won’t be able to handle it. That little girl— being a father— has made him a better man. Losing her would throw us all into chaos. And realistically, I will die soon after anyway and it’s just too much. I don’t want for anything like that to happen.”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah.”

They whirled around as Keelin managed to catch Hope as she stumbled against her. The Mikaelsons all rushed forward. “Is she alright?” asked Klaus urgently.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” said Hope, straightening herself up.

Keelin just smiled. “My medical diagnosis is too much champagne.”

The others awkwardly smiled, because they knew this was not the case. “Sure,” said Beatrix. “I may be an OB/Gyn and not an ER doctor but I second that…”

Hope brushed her hair out of her face. “Speaking of, I would like to make a toast.” She held up her glass. “This has been the best day ever. And you know what? You guys got a thousand years of moments like this one, and being a part of this one really made me feel like I’m part of ‘always and forever,’ too. So… cheers.”

They halfheartedly answered with a ‘cheers’ and downed the rest of their glasses. Clearly, they were all still quite worried that Hope had collapsed because of the dark magic and not because of the champagne. Rebekah looked like she might cry as she stepped back with Marcel to give Hope her space.

“See what I mean?” whispered Beatrix to Elijah as Klaus walked off, holding his head like he was afraid he’d lose his mind. “She’s terminal, Elijah. She’s not going to survive the full moon.”


	74. Chapter 74

**They spent a week trying to find any solution.**

But nothing was working.

They had been in the bell tower working on spells. Researching. Kol had contacted witches in other parts of the world, tracing the origins of Covens that might better know how to deal with dark magic. Beatrix had contacted Bonnie Bennett and Valerie Tulle for any input. They agreed to be on standby, but there was nothing anyone seemed to be able to come up with.

And so Beatrix started to put her affairs in order.

“What are you doing, Itza?” Elijah had asked the day after the wedding when he found her sitting on her bed surrounded by papers.

“I’m fixing up my legal documents,” she said. “Settling anything I need to from Medical School and work. I’ve made my will so that anything I own— which isn’t much— will go to Hope and any children that the others have.”

He sat down at the edge of her bed. “Why? What are you planning? Be honest with me.”

“I’m going to get The Hollow out of Hope,” said Beatrix. “And I’m going to put it into myself.”

“Itza—”

“I’m telling you this because I know that you’ll understand. I have to do this, Elijah. After all this time, I know this is the right thing to do. This is my firm redemption after all the pain and suffering that I caused.”

It was clear Elijah did not want her to go through with it, but after their conversation, he knew there was no stopping her. “What help do you need?” he asked quietly. “How can I assist you?”

“I need to enter Klaus’s mind and give him a dream. An idea.”

“What of?”

“We know that Hope likely won’t survive the full moon. In that transition, she will lose her life. The Salvatore School knows how to help werewolves with their first transformation. I want him to think it was his idea to take her there. And I want him to think that he’s going to put The Hollow into himself.”

Elijah flinched. “You have lost your mind.”

“No, I haven’t. Think, Elijah, if he knows what I want to do, he’ll subdue me and he’ll sacrifice himself, and we can’t have that. I know he’s already thinking about it. In order to do the transfer, we need siphon witches. The Saltzman twins are our best bet, and I already proposed the idea to Valerie Tulle. She’ll be in Mystic Falls to help. The four of us are the last siphons left in the world and together, we can safely remove The Hollow from Hope and put it into me. I want to make Klaus think that he’d be asking Caroline to get the Saltzman twins to help Hope. He’ll help the plan move along. He’ll need to help Hope transform first, and by then, The Hollow will be out and inside of me. I just need you to help keep this a secret from him.”

Elijah had teared up. “Why… why would you…”

“You know why. I have to do this, Elijah. Please don’t try and stop me. This is the right thing.”

He sighed. “So be it. When are we going to do this?”

“Tonight.”

And so, when they found Klaus in his bed, tossing and turning, they did it. Elijah let Beatrix channel him as she entered the hybrid’s mind, crafting a very simple vision. He saw himself taking Hope to the Salvatore School. Helping her transform. Speaking with the Saltzman twins. Feeling a blue light entering his body.

The instant Beatrix had put the dream in, she sped herself and Elijah back to her room. “It’s done.”

“What now?” asked Elijah.

“If he says anything to you, act like it’s absurd. It’ll only make him want to do it more, and if you agree right away, he’ll be suspicious.”

The rest of the week flowed in the direction that Beatrix wanted it to. Elijah was the only one who knew that she was settling all her affairs. She had Davina and Freya help her with some Soothing Spells that would prepare Hope’s body to have The Hollow removed from it. Klaus still had no idea, but Beatrix could tell that he was thinking about the dream every waking moment.

She had succeeded.

The night before the full moon, she had been sitting beside him, channeling him as she waved her hand over her niece’s forehead to help her have some peaceful dreams. Unbeknownst to her, Klaus had been overhearing a conversation between Elijah and Marcel in the other room. He suddenly stood and stormed out, and Beatrix followed.

“Niklaus,” said Elijah when they passed by him.

“Get in the car,” said Klaus gruffly. “You, Beatrix, and I are taking Hope on a little trip.”

Elijah acted as though this was news to him. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Hope can sleep on the drive,” said Klaus as he pulled a jacket off of one of the nearby hangers.

“Surely you heard Marcel.”

“He doesn’t know anything!” Klaus snapped. “Hope’s school knows how to deal with a werewolf’s first transformation. They have a facility.”

Elijah and Beatrix refrained from looking at each other. “Mystic Falls?” asked the elder Original. “I take it you have a plan?”

“I do,” said the hybrid. “And while I execute it, I need you to look after her. To make sure she doesn’t exert herself.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to just take Beatrix? Someone Hope doesn’t despise?”

“How Hope feels about you is of no consequence. I have until the crest of the full moon to save her life. We’ve defied the inevitable for a dozen lifetimes. I am not about to surrender to it now. Please, Elijah. You two are the only ones I trust.”

They nodded. “I’ll get Hope,” said Beatrix, daring to smile a bit at Elijah as she walked out.

She gently cradled her niece as she took her down to the car. Elijah had lowered the seats in the back so that Hope could sleep comfortably. Beatrix sat beside her, stroking her hair, as Klaus drove, and Elijah rode shotgun.

“You will speak to the Saltzman twins, Beatrix,” said Klaus quietly when they were certain Hope was still asleep. “You brought them into this world, they will respect you if they see you. If Caroline gives me permission to ask their help, they will be more inclined to help.”

“Of course,” she said, looking at Elijah through the rearview mirror.

“You will take her into town,” said Klaus. “Let her have her fun. Be there for her. She should not suspect what I wish to do.”

“You are certain this plan of yours is the best way to do this, brother?” inquired Elijah.

Klaus nodded. “It is. I promise.”

The instant they arrived in Mystic Falls, they dispersed. Klaus went straight inside to speak with Caroline. Beatrix wandered around for a bit, looking for the twins. She found them at a table in the library, practicing some magic.

“Hey, girls,” she said, sitting down beside them.

“Dr. La Salle,” said Josie, the brunette. “What are you doing here?”

“Just some business to take care of,” she told them gently. “What are you two doing?”

“We’re doing some practice for our spell class,” said Lizzie. She looked quite a bit like Caroline even though she wasn’t biologically her daughter. “Want to see?”

“Of course,” said Beatrix.

The twins put their hands against the table. They concentrated, and the books in front of them began to levitate. The pages flipped on their own, and when the books came back down, they had opened to a chapter about transference spells. “We’re learning to transfer our thoughts onto objects without speaking,” explained Josie.

“We’re the best at it,” said Lizzie proudly.

Beatrix beamed at them. “That’s expected. You’re both very talented.”

“Are you going to come back to work with Dr. Salvatore?” asked Josie. “She’s been busy ‘cause she and Damon Salvatore had a daughter. They named her Stefanie.”

“Aw, did they? That’s fantastic. We’ll see…”

“You should work here!” said Lizzie. “Our dad says that we always need a new magic teacher, and you know a lot of magic.”

“Yeah,” agreed Josie, “you can be the doctor for the other students, too. Mostly everyone heals up by themselves but us witches could use some healing spells a bit more often.”

Beatrix raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Well, sometimes it’s hard to control our magic,” sighed Lizzie. 

“Lizzie especially,” said Josie pointedly. Her sister made a face. “What? It’s true.”

“So your magic sometimes gets a little out of control and people get hurt,” deduced Beatrix. “I can imagine that. I’m actually surprised that you don’t have a supernatural doctor here already.”

“I think our mom and dad wanted to leave that position for you. You used to help when you lived here, but then you went to New Orleans…”

Beatrix smiled. “Yes, well, New Orleans is my home.”

“Do you not like Mystic Falls?” asked Josie.

“It’s not that I don’t like it. I just like Louisiana more. I have lived there for so long.”

She couldn’t just tell the two young girls that Mystic Falls didn’t exactly bring back the warmest of memories.

“Hmm, I get it,” said Lizzie. “It’s like how Josie and I were born in Whitmore, and we grew up here. Living somewhere else would be weird.”

Josie thought it over for a moment. “I want to visit somewhere else one day, too. Maybe Europe.”

“I’m sure one day your parents will take you,” said Beatrix reassuringly. “I’ve always liked Europe when I’ve gone there.”

“Were you a doctor in Europe, too?”

“No, only ever here. But it might have been nice to treat patients in different countries, too.”

She looked up as Caroline came through the doorway, beckoning for them to follow. Beatrix and the twins stood and followed the blonde out to an abandoned house in the woods which was covered in vines.

“Mom, why are we here?” asked Lizzie as Klaus stepped out from one of the covered rooms.

Caroline knelt in front of them. “You know Hope Marshall, right? Well, she’s in trouble. She’s sick. And you two have the power to help do a spell that will make her feel better. Remember how you once spoke at the assembly about how you liked the idea of being doctors? This is kind of your chance to do it.”

Josie and Lizzie shared a look. “What do we get if we say yes?” asked Josie curiously.

Caroline stood back up. “The warm feeling in your heart that comes from helping a friend in need.”

Lizzie pursed her lips. “Well, we _are_ in need of new cell phones.”

“And permission to go to the senior solstice dance!” added Josie. “And, you and Dad take the skirt-length rules out of the dress code. It’s anti-feminist and oppressive.”

“And not cute,” Lizzie chimed in.

Caroline looked a bit surprised at their demands, as if she was trying to contain her laughter. She quickly cleared her throat. “No to the phones, maybe to the dance, and yes to defying the patriarchy one plaid skirt at a time. Deal?”

The twins shared a look and nodded. “Deal,” they replied in unison.

The blonde vampire smiled. “Good. Now, Mr. Mikaelson and Dr. La Salle are going to explain exactly what they need you to do. Very clearly, and kindly, without even a hint of a temper or frustration.”

Klaus stepped a bit forward as Caroline moved off to the side. “First of all, thank you,” he said quietly. Then, he suddenly yelled out in pain, and Beatrix jumped back seeing a stake had been shot through Klaus. He fell to the floor, unconscious, and Alaric entered with a crossbow.

“Dad?” said Josie in surprise.

“Whatever the hell’s going on here, no,” said Alaric firmly.

Beatrix held her hands up in surrender. “I can explain. It’s not going to hurt your girls.”

“Look, Beatrix, you know that Caroline and I respect you, but the line is drawn when it comes to _him_.”

“He’s not aware of the real plan,” said Beatrix. 

“What?” said Caroline, blinking. “But— but he told me he wanted the twins to pull the dark magic out of Hope and put it into him.”

“Dark magic?” said Alaric. “Absolutely not.”

“It’s not going to hurt them,” Beatrix promised. “Just, let me get my point across.”

Caroline held up a ‘time out’ sign. “I’m confused. Are we dealing with dark magic or not?”

“Yes, we are. Hope, in an attempt to reunite the family, let a very dark spirit called The Hollow into her body. It’s killing her, and I… I put a dream in Klaus’s head to bring him here, making him think he could have it put in him. That’s not happening. It’s going to be put into me.”

Alaric made a face. “And why do my daughters need to be a part of it?”

“They’re siphon witches. They’re the only ones that can try to do this. I already spoke to Valerie Tulle— you remember her. She’s here, and she’ll come when I text her. The four of us are going to pull The Hollow out of Hope. We’re the last four siphon witches in the world and the number four is very important when it comes to defeating this spirit.”

“What will happen to them?” asked Caroline. “The dark magic— can it hurt them?”

“No. I wrote the spell out myself, and I will show them exactly what they need to do. They will be exposed to very, very minor traces of the dark energy, and once it’s inside of me, they’re going to have zero side effects from having helped. If the four of us do the spell, the twins won’t succumb to any sort of damage.”

Alaric and Caroline shared a look. “Okay,” said the vampire, “but from what it sounds like, you’re going to sacrifice yourself.”

Beatrix bit her lip. “It’s nothing to be worried about, alright? Everything is going to be fine. I just want Hope to live. And I won’t let Klaus be the one that dies to save her. She needs her father. I know that he’s caused many problems but that girl needs him. She already lost her mother and I can’t stand knowing that it’s either she dies, or he does. So please. I’m begging you. Just help me on this.”

“No.”

They watched as Klaus revived, pulling the stake out of himself. “Absolutely not,” he sneered. “You lied to me.”

“Yes, I lied to you, because you wouldn’t have let me do it any other way,” said Beatrix as Alaric and Caroline quickly ushered the twins out of the building. “Respect my decision.”

“How am I meant to respect your decision?” he demanded. “How many times must I say to you, Beatrix, that I absolutely refuse to let you sacrifice yourself?”

“It’s not about what you’ll allow, Klaus—”

“Let it be me!” he yelled. “It shouldn’t be you.”

She slapped him across the face. “Do you know how bloody stupid you sound? You’re her father! You’re a hybrid! She needs you today more than ever, and I won’t let you actually go through with this suicide mission. I put that dream into your head to bring you here but the last thing I wanted was for you to actually die. This is what I need to do. You can’t judge me for wanting to sacrifice myself then turn around and insist the same thing for yourself. If you won’t let me do it, I’ll subdue you with magic, I don’t care. But I’m not leaving that girl without a father. I’m going to take The Hollow into myself, and that’s final.”

She expected him to hit her back. To yell some more. To snap her neck. What he did instead surprised her.

He hugged her.

He pulled her into such a tight embrace that she could feel how hard his heart was beating within his chest. “I never deserved you,” he whispered. “Never. I don’t deserve for you to do this for me.”

“I’m doing this for your daughter, Klaus,” she said, rubbing his back. “That girl deserves to live and she deserves to be able to have her father at her side. She missed out on too much already, and it’s not fair. Please. Listen to me.”

He pulled away and cupped her face. “Only because I know Hayley would have wanted me to respect your choice,” he said shakily, kissing her on the forehead. “You, my little witch, have become everything I hope my daughter will be. Everything her mother was. Unbelievably brave and selfless. I am beyond proud that I can say that I was your sire.”

She smiled and brought her hands up to caress his hair. “Thank you, Klaus.”

“HELP!”

They whirled around as Elijah sped forward with an unconscious Hope. “She just collapsed,” said Elijah urgently. “I-I don’t— I don’t know why—”

Beatrix moved him aside and checked her pulse. “No heartbeat. Get the Saltzman twins, now.” Elijah sped off. “Klaus, start CPR. I’m going to do a spell to try and revive her.”

Klaus immediately began to press his fists against his daughter’s chest, pumping just how Beatrix had taught him to before. The Heretic moved to sit near Hope’s head, putting both hands on her forehead. “Come on, _mi esperanza_ , don’t do this to us.” She began to chant, _“Cicatriser despert vivifica, consano reveiller reviure, curar surgere relancer. Cicatriser despert vivifica, consano reveiller reviure, curar surgere relancer—”_

Hope shot up, gasping for air, and immediately, Klaus brought her into his arms, hugging her tightly and cradling her head. He was crying. “You’re okay,” he whispered. “I’m here… you’re okay.”

“Dad, I don’t want to die,” whimpered Hope. “I don’t want to die…”

“I know,” said Klaus. “Y-You’re not gonna die.” He held her face in his hands. “Sweetheart, you’re not gonna die. We have a way to save your life. And everything is gonna be better in the morning. I promise you. I promise.” He looked up at the sky, already dark. Hope’s transformation would begin within an hour, at most.

“Get her to the rooms they have at the Salvatore School,” said Beatrix sternly as Klaus picked Hope up. “Bring her out when she’s ready.”

Klaus sped her off as Alaric and the twins arrived. Beatrix pulled out her phone and texted Valerie to make her way there. “Alright. Alaric, make as perfect of a circle as you can in the ground, just however you can. If you have torches, get eight of them and put them around the circle.”

“Got it,” he said, jogging off. 

Beatrix knelt in front of the twins. “This spell is something of my own creation. I made it a very long time ago when I was still the only Heretic in the world. It helps us siphoners be able to move things around without having to touch them. Repeat after me, ‘Magia tollox de terras.’”

The twins recited, “‘Magia tollox de terras.’”

“Very good. Now, we’re going to say that over and over. Valerie will be here soon. There are four of us total, and we’re going to stand at four corners within the circle, and we’re going to rotate, taking a step to the right each time. We’ll trap the spirit within that circle. When you see a blue light over us, continue to say the spell but stop moving. I’m going to step under it and you’re going to concentrate on putting it inside of me. Understood?”

“Do we say ‘Solvo’ at the end?” asked Lizzie. 

“Oh, yeah, they tell us sometimes big spells need to have that said at the end,” Josie added.

Beatrix smiled. “Yes, you’ll say that at the end, once the spirit is inside of me.” She looked up as Alaric came back. “I’m pretty sure I got the circle as perfect as possible.”

“We’ll check, Dad,” offered Josie as the twins went off to where he had been.

Alaric looked at Beatrix and half-smiled. “You’ve changed a lot, you know?” he said. “I hope that my daughters will one day be like you. This is probably the most noble thing I’ve seen someone do.” 

He pulled her into a hug, and she sighed. That was the first and last time they would ever embrace, and it made her happy to know that after all this time, he no longer held against her the person she’d been decades ago.

“I heard it was time?”

Beatrix turned and saw Valerie walking up. “Hey,” she whispered, going to hug her too.

“This is it, then?” asked Valerie. “You’re… you’re really going to do it.”

“Yes, I am,” sighed Beatrix.

“They always told us how magnificent the Original Heretic was. I wish the others were here to say proper goodbyes. You’ll see them again, I hope, when you find peace. It was an honor to get to meet you.”

Beatrix beamed at her. “Thank you for this, Valerie. It’s good to see you again. After this, you’re going to be the last Heretic in the world, alright? Make the most of it.”

And then it was time.

The full moon rose into the sky. Beatrix heard Elijah and Klaus bringing Hope into the woods. Elijah walked up beside Alaric and Caroline, nodding for the four to begin the spell.

Hands outstretched, the two Heretics and two siphoners began to chant, _“Magia tollox de terras.”_ A step to the side. _“Magia tollox de terras.”_ Another step. _“Magia tollox de terras.”_ Step. _“Magia tollox de terras.”_ Step.

They heard screams. Hope’s transformation had started. Over and over again they chanted, not ceasing until there was the sound of a small explosion, and suddenly, lingering over them was a blue orb.

The Original Heretic closed her eyes for just a second, opening them to meet Elijah’s gaze as she stepped under the light. The other three continued to chant. Beatrix looked as Klaus arrived, giving her a grateful look. He mouthed the words ‘Thank you’ just before the blue light tore itself into her.

She let out a pained scream, a lighting bolt crashing into her chest. It hurt like Hell, every fiber in her body burning. She shut her eyes as she collapsed on her knees, shaking and hearing the other witches say _“Solvo,”_ before they stepped out of the circle.

Her ears were ringing, and her vision blurred. She knew Alaric had led the twins away. Elijah rushed forward and helped Beatrix to her feet, pulling her out. She groaned and held her head, the whispering already assaulting her mind.

“Her arms,” said Klaus shakily.

Already, her veins were blackened, and Beatrix could feel it had crawled up her face. Valerie came to stand beside her. “You have at most twenty hours,” she said honestly. “It’s going to overtake you by the end of tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Valerie,” whispered Beatrix weakly as Elijah picked her up bridal style. “Thank you… for everything.”

Valerie offered her a smile and squeezed her hand. “Goodbye, Beatrix,” she said before speeding away.

“What the hell?”

Hope had come back, dressed. She ran toward Beatrix. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?!”

“Hope,” said Klaus more sternly. “Don’t yell. It’ll make her head hurt.”

“We need to head back to New Orleans,” said Elijah as Beatrix slumped into his chest, falling asleep. “We need to give everyone a chance to say goodbye.”


	75. Chapter 75

**Every goodbye hurt.**

Beatrix had been asleep the entire ride back to New Orleans. Hope rode in the front with her father, exhausted from her transformation and leaning back in the seat. Elijah had Beatrix on his lap and was stroking her hair soothingly.

She dreamed of her mother.

They were in the Bayou where Beatrix had grown up. Instead of the abandoned carpenter’s workshop, there stood their little house, just as they had known it. Beatrix walked up and opened the door, seeing her mother there.

“ _Mija_ ,” she breathed when she saw her. Ianira ran to her and pulled her into a tight hug. “ _Mi cielo_ …”

“ _Hola, Mamá_ ,” said Beatrix as they embraced. “It’s good to see you.”

“The Hollow’s magic is inside of you again,” she whispered, holding her daughter’s face. “At the very least, it means I can see you. But…”

“I’m dying, _Mamá,_ ” Beatrix whispered. “I’m going to die.”

“I know, _mi preciosa_ ,” she sighed, kissing her forehead. “And I am so, so proud of you. I’m so sorry that your life had to come to this. I should never have taken that magic to get away.”

“It’s not your fault,” said the Heretic. “It isn’t. I was happy. I lived. And I’m grateful that you brought me to term against the wishes of those who tried to stop you.”

“You turned out better than I could have hoped,” sighed Ixazaluoh. “And when it’s time, I will be there to catch you when you arrive. You will be at peace. I know it. Though I wish you could have suffered less, I am so happy that you grew the way you did. You make me feel as though I did something right.” She kissed her head again. “Wake up, my darling. Say your goodbyes.”

She had awoken to being carried into the courtyard by Elijah. Clearly, they had already let the others know, because a hoard of people rushed to her side.

“Beatrix,” said Vincent. “Beatrix, can you hear me?”

She mumbled sleepily. “Yes. So loud…”

“Set her down, Elijah.”

He let her body rest gently on the couch beside the fountain. “Please,” she sighed, looking up at them. “Don’t… waste your energy.”

“What can we get you?” asked Rebekah, her hands shaking. “What do you need?”

“Just… food.”

“Alright,” said Marcel, kneeling beside you. “How about this. Klaus and I can get the best chefs to cook you some of your favorite food. Anything you want.”

She smiled. “Enchiladas. Pan dulce. Beignets. Atole. Please.”

Marcel and Klaus shared a look before rushing off.

They were all clearly hurting. They spoke to her gently as if she might break any second. They could see that she was in pain, but she tried to pretend she wasn’t. She wanted to enjoy her day with them, just knowing they were there for her.

So they ate. A feast was made and they chatted and teased as if it were any other day. It felt good to see them all together. Kol and Davina joked with Rebekah and Marcel. Freya and Keelin were having a fun conversation with Klaus and Elijah. Vincent and Hope had asked Beatrix to tell them more about the food they were eating.

Rebekah had proposed for them to do a wish burning ceremony. Though she was frail, Beatrix was able to walk out with Elijah’s help, tossing her wishes for them into the fire. None of the others spoke their individual wishes around. She knew, however, that they were all wishing something along the lines of finding peace. So that she could rest after centuries of life.

Then came the goodbyes.

Klaus was the first to come to her room. “Beatrix,” he whispered as he sat at her bedside. He was already crying. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.”

“You thought you’d be the one to kill me?” she tried to tease. Already her voice was failing her. It was incredibly soft from the effort it was taking to speak. The blackened veins were completely covering her face. She had at most an hour and a half left. 

He forced a laugh. “Not at all, my little witch. I thought you would live forever.”

“No one can live forever, Klaus, you know that by now.”

He swallowed hard. “You may think… that you did not succeed at making me a better man. But you did.”

She reached for his hand. “You always had the potential to be a better man, Klaus. And I’m happy that you see yourself that way. It pleases me.” She coughed, and Klaus offered her a glass of water to drink. She took a gulp and winced, pushing it away. “Throat too dry.”

“Relax,” he said, bringing a hand to stroke her hair. “I’m so sorry. I should have done more.”

“You couldn't have stopped it. Please, don’t blame yourself.” She pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed it gently. “Listen to me,” she whispered. “Don’t hover over her. Give her some privacy, she deserves it. And when she starts to date, don’t try and control her every move. Leave her some space to grow. There is still a lot she has to learn. She will inevitably get her heart broken, as we all did. What matters is that you’re there for her when it happens. Don’t make her feel… like she has to be secretive about her life. Don’t pry, but make sure she knows she can trust you. Listen to the others. Rebekah and Freya can help her with some girl stuff, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them. Trust your brothers. Be respectful with Marcel, Vincent, and Alaric. And maybe, just maybe…” she beckoned him closer. “You should try for another shot with Caroline. You two… are something else. I want you to be happy. You have a chance to make her happy, too. Be respectful. Be kind to her daughters and to Alaric. There is so much that none of us will ever understand about kids or about humans, because we haven’t been like them for so long. You have a beautiful daughter. Appreciate it.”

He stifled a sob and pulled her into a hug. “Where do you wish to be buried?” he managed weakly. “I need… I need a place to be able to go and speak with you.”

She caressed his back weakly. “In the Bayou. Somewhere near Hayley and the water.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you always. Even when I’m not here anymore.”

Marcel came in next, and he started to cry the instant she took his hand.

“Shh,” she soothed. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m just glad it’s not the other way around. Parents should never have to bury their kids. You know that’s why I did this.”

“I know,” he said, taking her hand tightly in both of his. “I know. But I didn’t want to ever lose you. Never.”

“I’m so proud of you, Marcel,” she said softly. “You need to live your life to the fullest. Do what you love. Love what you do. No matter what, you know I’ll always back you up. If it’s being with Rebekah or someone else… I just want you to be happy, okay? I want you to be able to look back and have no regrets.”

He nodded and blinked away tears. “I-I know… I know…”

She smiled. “You know everything. I was so blessed to get to help you grow up. You’ve turned into such a perfect young man and I promise, even if I’m not physically there, I will always be there for you, alright? I love you, Marcel.”

“I love you, Beatrix,” he said, kissing her hand. “I love you, Mama.”

Vincent followed.

He started with a blessing. He chanted and helped to prepare her body so that her death would not bring her so much pain. “I know I’ve already said this,” he murmured, “but it was such an honor to have known you. Especially these past years that I got to learn more about you. Be your friend.” He sat beside her. “I’m… going to agree to be the father of Freya and Keelin’s child. They asked me yesterday. I want to help them have a family.”

“Oh, Vincent,” whispered Beatrix. “That’s so good. You are always so kind. It was an honor to know you, too.”

Rebekah, Freya, and Keelin came together. The three women were crying as they sat around Beatrix. “Hey,” said the Heretic as Keelin covered her face so she wouldn’t see her crying. “Hey, don’t cry, Keelin…”

“How can I not?” she whimpered. “We didn’t want to lose you.”

Beatrix looked up at them. “You three were the sisters I needed. You made me feel so good, so loved. I will forever cherish that, and even if I’m not beside you, I’m still in your memories.” She beckoned to her nightstand. “Rebekah, open the top drawer.”

The Original sniffled and did as asked, extracting a rolled up parchment. “What is this?” she whispered.

“I wrote it out a few days ago. Freya and Keelin will be able to help you with it. If you ever want to have kids with Marcel, this spell will help you. Once, Keelin was the one that told Freya and I how monsters are still biological organisms. This will grant you your family, whether you take the cure or not. It’s your choice.”

Rebekah’s lip trembled and she pulled Beatrix into a tight hug. Freya and Keelin followed, and the three just held her for a moment. The Heretic allowed her own tears to flow, even though she had been hold them back.

“We will miss you so much,” said Freya quietly. “Thank you for helping me discover myself. You taught me that it was okay to love whoever I love and I ended up married to the best person ever. Thank you, Beatrix.”

Kol and Davina had come in together, as well. The young witch tried to contain her tears as she gave Beatrix a blessing of her own. 

Kol took her hand. “Thank you,” he said shakily, “for being the first one that made me feel like I had a shot at being part of ‘Always and Forever.’ Thank you for making me feel like I could be part of a family. That I could find love and be loved.”

“There’s a copy of the spell for the both of you, too,” sniffled Beatrix, beckoning for Davina to reach into the other drawer. “In case you want… you know, kids. Freya and Keelin will help.”

The most dreaded goodbye was Hope’s. 

The young witch had started to bawl right away, and ran to hug Beatrix so tightly that it pained her to have to let go.

“I’m s-so sorry,” whimpered Hope. “I should have done more— I shouldn’t have been so stupid—”

“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Beatrix whispered, tears streaming down her own cheeks. “This is not your fault, alright. I wanted this. And it makes me so happy to know that you’re going to get to go to Prom one day, and find love of your own. I wanted that for you. Your mom wanted it, too.”

“I-I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” Hope cried. “I’m l-losing both of my m-moms…”

“Oh, my sweet girl,” sighed Beatrix, cradling her head into her chest. “There will always be people there for you. Please know that. You can always reach out to everyone. You have a family and family friends that love you and care for you so much. They were there before you were born. When you were little. And they will be there when you’re older. You don’t remember Camille, but we’ve told you about her, haven’t we? She loved you so much, just as I did, and those around you feel the same. They will be there for you. You have your dad now, and you will always be able to hug him and talk to him about anything, okay? You have your Aunt Freya, your Aunt Keelin, Aunt Davina, Aunt Rebekah, Uncle Kol, Marcel, Alaric, Caroline, Vincent… I even texted some… old colleagues. Bonnie Bennett, Damon Salvatore, Elena Salvatore, Valerie Tulle… in my drawer you’ll find all their contact information. They all told me to tell you that if you ever need anything, they will always be there. You can reach out and they will know who you are, okay? Even your Uncle Elijah. I know that you won’t want to forgive him anytime soon but I promise you, he loves you so much and when you’re ready to give him a chance, he will be there for you. He’ll be there for you even before you’re ready. You have a whole network of people who want the best for you. Let’s not forget all the Crescent wolves. Reach out.”

She held the young girl’s face in her hands, looking into her teary eyes. “There is so much more to life. I want you to be able to see it. Let yourself see the beauty in things. Know that you are free to explore and to be whoever you want to be. I thought my life was over the day I got stuck in that prison world. I thought I’d never see my family again. But I got out, and I got to be the aunt to the most amazing niece in the world. The best girl I could have ever asked for. You are going to do great things. Don’t settle for less than what you deserve. I love you, _mi esperanza_. And I will always be there for you.”

“I love you, Aunt Trix,” sobbed Hope as she hugged her again.

There was a moment when Beatrix was left alone. She coughed and wheezed, trying to down some more water. She could feel the throbbing in her chest getting weaker. Her heart was slowing down, and she knew that it was almost time.

The door opened. Elijah was here at last, for her final goodbye. Though he was not yet crying, he would be soon.

“Itza,” he said, sitting on her bed. “How do you feel?”

“It doesn’t hurt so bad,” she whispered. She looked up. “Can you take me… to the sitting room? With the piano. I want… to see the sky.”

“Of course, my love,” he said, picking her up. He cradled her very gently into him as he took her there. He set her down on the seat beside the window, propping her up with some pillows. He reached for a bag under the seat and extracted a stack of letters.

“What’s this?” she whispered.

He smiled. “When you told me you were getting your affairs in order… I may have reached out to all of your past patients. They have sent you letters of thanks.”

He played the piano for her while she read them. Some were short, just a sentence and a name thanking her for healing them. Some letters, like the one she received from Freddie and his mom, were longer, and they made her smile. Freddie was now in Medical School, and he wanted to be a fetal surgeon. She cried profusely, trying to read even though her vision was blurring. Her ears rang with the sweet melody that she recognized all too well— it was the first piece Elijah had ever played for her to hear, the day he told her he’d eventually teach her to play piano. 

When the song finished, he came to cradle her in his arms, stroking her damp hair. She was shaking, the magic ready to overtake her.

“Make it quick,” she pleaded. “T-Take… take my heart out.”

“I will see you on the other side,” he told her, squeezing her hand.

“Elijah, no,” she whispered.

“Yes, Itza. I’ve realized that I don’t want to live anymore if it will be without you. Niklaus has been redeemed. I have spoken with the others and they are supportive. I should have chosen you so long ago. If you’re going to be gone, my life will have no meaning. I will find you in the afterlife, no matter what it takes.”

She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. She let her head slump into his chest as his knuckles grazed down the side of her cheek. “I l-love you, E-Elijah,” she managed.

“I love you,” he whispered back, making her open her eyes. A weak smile graced her features. “I love you so much. My beautiful, beautiful treasure. Always and forever…”

She let out an airy chuckle, stifling a cough. “I-I’m not… n-not…”

“Yes, yes you are. My precious, Itza Mikaelson. You are my soulmate. You are our family. You helped Klaus become a better man. You have given him a chance to be a proper father. You, selfless as always… I should have married you that day in 1899… when I saw the way your eyes lit up seeing that wedding dress.”

She shook her head, but he silenced her, tracing his thumb over her lips. “I mean it, Itza,” he breathed, tears now steadily rolling down his face. “You were the light that helped me overcome my darkness. Do you… remember that poem you wrote? The one you wanted to have someone publish?”

Her head gave a gentle nod. “You… r-remembered…”

“Robert Frost,” he whispered. “1923. Four years after I thought I lost you. I kept it just as you told it to me and presented it to him. He included it without hesitation.”

She shivered again. “E-Elijah…” She wanted him to recite it. One last time.

He drew a deep breath, and held her up so that he could lean his forehead against hers. 

_“Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.”_

A smile formed, and she let her body relax, limp in his arms.

_“Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.”_

He could feel her heart beating slower with each passing second.

_“Then leaf subsides to leaf.”_

Ragged, hoarse, her lungs couldn’t take much longer.

_“So Eden sank to grief,”_

He swallowed back a sob, putting his hand over her chest.

_“So dawn goes down to day.”_

In, gripping her heart, making her let out a soft sigh.

_“Nothing gold can stay.”_

Out came her heart. Her body turned completely gray, and arms fell to her sides. Trembling lips pressed onto her forehead, and he let the heart fall to the floor. 

He raised half of the White Oak stake, taking a deep breath. Looking down at her, he felt a tear drop off his chin, landing on her lips. He plunged it into his own heart, his body shaking as he held her closer, struggling to breathe, but wanting his last memory to be just holding her.

Just as dusk turned to dawn, just as souls reunited after years apart, just as light and darkness met and meshed into a beautiful array of life that had both good and bad...

Nothing Gold Can Stay. 

Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either.


	76. Chapter 76

  
That concludes Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either.

I made the edit above and included Beatrix because I thought it looked cool. Big shoutout to Cenit Nadir for being Beatrix’s faceclaim (even though she has no idea that she is, lol). 

I knew since the beginning that I wanted Beatrix to die. It just felt like the right thing to do, as I created her character right after I bawled my eyes out to the ending of The Originals. I wrote the last bit of the ending and purposely never revealed what Beatrix’s poem was until this moment. I hope that you liked it (obviously, Robert Frost actually wrote that, but let’s not get into the technicalities).

It is implied (I guarantee this as canon for this particular story because I said so) that:

  * Elijah and Beatrix found each other again when they were at peace.
  * Beatrix got to see her mom and her sister again.
  * They got to see Hayley, Jackson, Aiden, Josh, and Cami again.
  * Klaus became the father that Hope needed him to be.
  * Klaus and Caroline ended up together.
  * Rebekah and Marcel ended up together.
  * Freya, Keelin, and Vincent started a family.



At the beginning, I had no idea what I would do. A lot of this was completely improvised. But I’m glad I got to write some Kaitrix, Niktrix, and Belijah content. 

Thank you so much for all your support in this first The Vampire Diaries/The Originals fanfic of mine. Truly, it broke me to write the ending and I still haven’t stopped crying. I’m proud of myself, and I’m so glad to have been able to write this and I hope that you all liked it.

Mischief Managed,

Sprinting Fox


End file.
